


Pack and Pride

by ShadyQuiet



Series: Of Worms and Wolves. [2]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), Sherlock (TV), Skyfall (2012) - Fandom, Spooks | MI-5
Genre: Alpha!James, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bonding, Bondlock, Dark, Developing Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Not as dark as it sounds..., Pack, Panic Attacks, Past Dub con/non con, Psychological and physiological trauma, Recovery, Romance, Sequel, Shapeshifting, Violence, Whump, Wolves, heat - Freeform, mentions of mpreg, omega!Q, threat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-10-23
Packaged: 2018-02-10 17:02:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 52,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2032875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadyQuiet/pseuds/ShadyQuiet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Run is over. James Bond is taking Q, his new mate, home and to the supposed safety of his pack. But with the treachery of Silva still close in mind, and the rumours spreading throughout the forest, how safe can an isolated mountain be when there's enemies in the shadows on all sides?</p><p>The bigger picture however, is hard to grasp, especially when you're Q. Especially when you're suddenly finding yourself surrounded by alphas again and being integrated into a new pack.</p><p>Q's sure of one thing and one thing alone; he's not leaving James' side.</p><p> </p><p>  <b>This work is a sequel, and will not make best sense without reading Part 1 first.</b></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reach

**Author's Note:**

> I am so so sorry that this is ridiculously overdue. I said 2 weeks and its been over a month! But, I had to write a bit ahead in order to keep the pace up. Here it is now!  
> Updates should be weekly, and I do hope you enjoy :)

[](http://imgur.com/biBQDHh)

 

\---

 

Walking had never felt quite so tedious. Q reflected, pushing through yet another thatch of ferns and shaking the dew from his muzzle. James looked back at his sneezing and with a fondly amused sort of smile used his tail to lift the next bought of foliage out of the way.

Q ducked under and sat for a pause beside James, lolling to lean on a tree, taking a deep breath.

“You’re doing well Q.” The omega snorted.

“So you keep saying.” He replied, but offered a muzzle lick to show his appreciation. James sat down beside him and ducked to nose gently at Q’s belly, checking the bandages that John had carefully wrapped around him two days ago.

The two betas had headed off around the lake away from them, seeking information and courting danger with something determined in Sherlock’s eyes. Q hadn’t wanted to dwell too much on the pure, unfettered rage he could recall seeing in his brother’s eyes when he’d spoken haltingly and painfully about the attack from Moriarty at the top of the Reichenbach falls. If he was being honest with himself, the omega knew exactly what ‘other’ task Sherlock had set out to accomplish, but he couldn’t bear thinking about it. Not when he could do nothing. It was, and always would be, Sherlock’s choice. But there was a bone deep terror in him at the mention of Moriarty now, even if he had been the first to draw a not insignificant amount of blood during their encounter.

But he and James had enough to worry about as it was, something Sherlock and John both had pointed out to them without pretence.

_“There’s no way to tell how deep this poison goes.”_

_“And it could still be just a couple of wolves’ whims.” John added. Sherlock huffed._

_“Read the signs John! This smells of nothing if not war-“_

_“Regardless of motive and plot, we’ve been betrayed once already. I’m not risking it happening again, whether Silva was related to this or not.” James put his paw over Q’s recently bandaged waist and loomed quietly at the shadows in the dark._

Since parting ways, both sub-packs agreeing to travel with, and maintain, utmost vigilance, Bond had led Q a winding and undergrowth-covered way back to his pack grounds. Following the typical wolf trails would run the risk of encountering trouble. This way was slower, and harder work, but safer.

Q was just relieved he was _capable_ of walking at the moment. He couldn’t go very fast, or for long, but it was a relief to have at least some strength back. Although, he considered, shaking faintly even as he sat against a tree, it was hardly a marked improvement.

“Can you keep going?” James asked, concerned, nuzzling up to Q and simply remaining close. The younger wolf turned to sniff the wolfy scent in James’ scruff and wrinkled his nose against the thick fur affectionately.

“Give me a moment.”

James was probably the only real reason Q could keep walking, and his patience was astounding. Even now, after barely an hour of uphill progress, the alpha settled down calmly and instead of snapping impatiently at twigs begun to indulge in his seemingly favourite pastime of licking the previously unremarkable patches of lighter fur over Q’s eyes.

By this stage, Q was convinced the man was trying to impregnate his scent into the small area of fur. If nothing else, Q’s eyes were probably the cleanest part of him. It was a trifle odd, but he could easily admit that there was by now something enthralling about the repitivity of the action, narrowing his focus until there was nothing but James and the swipe of tongue over damp fur.

Sometimes Q thought, a touch embarrassingly, that if he wasn’t in such dire physical condition he could probably get wet from that alone…

And since when had he been able to think so casually about those sorts of things?

-00Q00-

James couldn’t really describe the level of twisted relief and trepidation he felt once he and Q finally set paw into the beginnings of pack land. It was no better than an uphill struggle, the last three days. But they’d also been some of the most fulfilling and relaxing, soul lifting, of the alpha’s life.

Trekking along with Q, finding their food and water where and when they needed, finding somewhere new to sleep each night, small encloses of cover with increasingly spectacular views when Q needed rest during the day… It had been like living as a true wolf, free from any obligations except the ones that he wanted and that mattered. Namely Q’s continued contentment.

There was something simple about getting from place to place and making sure Q got there in hopefully good sprits as well as health, that was immensely satisfying. It had also given them plenty of time to talk when Q had the breath for it.

James could probably admit he was a little bit obsessed with his mate. Q was gorgeous, intelligent and witty. He was also, increasingly, courageous, playful and affectionate.

The alpha had nearly lost control, barely holding himself back, when at their mid-morning rest Q had nudged in to steal a lick of rabbit that James had dangling between his jaws, tail thumping winningly against the ground and his own half finished, eyes bright and a bit teasing. Instead of jumping the omega, James had rather hastily handed over the remains of his meal, utterly stunned and then tickled when Q wiggled his body in delight and gobbled up the rest of the food. James had insisting on licking him clean after, the omega’s tongue occasionally flicking back when it could reach James’ fur in reciprocation.

Tonight, possibly their last night before they were found and reunited with his, hopefully stable and joyful pack, James picked a secluded thicket far off the beaten track and encouraged Q in under the shelter. It was getting below freezing during the nights this high up, and snow was occasionally dotted over the ground in clear patches.

Q tripped a bit over a pinecone on his way into their newest den and flicked it across the floor in annoyance, but soon pounced on it again. James wriggled in a smile at the puppyish antics. Green eyes glanced up at him before the omega bowed down best he could in play, pine cone between his teeth and wiggling his rump in a way that probably wasn’t meant to be as teasing as it was.

How could he resist that? Blood thrumming James pounced forwards to just short of Q and they tussled lightly with their jaws for the soon abused pinecone. The light wrestling was using barely a fraction of James’ strength in Q’s weakened state, and he would never have initiated a chase game for fear of scaring Q, but evidently he wasn’t paying enough attention. Q neatly feinted into dropping the cone before gently buffeting James and snatching it back, head and tail held high as he did a silly little happy-dance with long unsteady legs.

James grinned, under-pounced to push Q slightly up and off balance and then flipped him gently to roll, grabbing the pinecone as Q tried to coordinate himself. It was James’ turn for a silly victory dance, prancing in a large circle before dropping back beside Q to enjoy crunching up the cone together.

Shortly, Q dropped his chunks of the cone in front of James and then rolled over to expose his belly.

Whatever he had been anticipating, it wasn’t a surprise show of trust and submission. The omega only seemed to notice he’d done it too when he saw James sniff, and whined a bit, squirming as if unsure whether to right himself. James shushed the motions with a nuzzle, and then moved to help nose the younger wolf the right way up again.

Green eyes found his, contemplative and alight with the last of the daylight. James couldn’t break gaze as Q slowly raised his head closer to touch noses before lowering to the ground, eyes not leaving the alpha’s blue ones.

Unsettling wasn’t quite the right word, but nor was euphoric… it was somewhere in the middle or a mixture of the both. And he couldn’t help wondering a little how on earth Q could trust him, trust anyone… yet here he was. Here they were. James lip licked a bit unsurely, blinking at the tumult of emotions in him, pride and fear, devotion and nausea. He’d promised this wolf safety he wasn’t sure he could provide. He’d let himself fall for this wolf he barely knew, a wolf who barely knew life yet.

Did every mated pair feel like this, or was it their circumstances?

But even given their grim meeting and doubtful situation, Bond couldn’t deny that he’d never felt happier than this. It felt meant to be. Ridiculous as that sounded.

Huffing a laugh James settled down beside Q and turned their noses together. The omega blinked at him steadily, and James wished he knew what the other was thinking. Wondered if it was mutual.

Which one of them fell asleep first, he couldn’t remember.

-00Q00-

The final climb to James’ pack wasn’t as bad, the land flattening out slightly, snow now coating the ground and the pines starkly coloured and thick against the white. The view back down the mountain was impressive, but Q was feeling too much a nervous combination of exhausted and tense to enjoy it.

For someone who prided themselves on being quite clever, it took a long time to work out just why.

Wolves. This land smelt thick with them. With alphas and-

Q staggered off to the side of James’ paw prints and vomited on the ground, shaking.

“Q? Hey,” James was beside him and worried in an instant. Q whined and despite himself cowered into the pine beside him, trying to protect the blind spots that James couldn’t.

This was hitting now? Why now? He could barely keep his head up, couldn’t see straight even though his paws were inches from his lowered nose. Everything in him seemed to be freezing, locking up.

With Silva it had been different, why had it been different? Because he’d had to choose fight or flight and fight had won? Because he’d been surprised? Worried for James? This was, this was…

“Love, come on…” James intoned softly, before shaking himself and moving forwards a step. “Here, come on, back up, there’s shelter just a few meters behind you, alright.” Half nudged and half cowering backwards, Q’s rump hit a small outcropping of rocks and he automatically hunkered down, near frozen with terror.

“There…” James trailed off, but all Q could think of was the smell, the feel of grabbing hands. With a whine he stabbed his nose into the snow and panted for air instead, trying to block out the scent of any alphas other than James.

The pale wolf carefully slid down beside him and sat stiffly as a barrier between the omega and the world.

If Q was in his skin, he would have been crying, or screaming, as it was he could do nothing but remain dumb with terror and occasionally thrash out at the memory of hands.

Oh Blanca he hated this. How could anyone survive this?

-00Q00-

James was nearing his wits end by the time Q seemed to simply exhaust himself into loosening tensed muscles with little cries at the cramps coming undone. Carefully nosing his pale, panting muzzle, and receiving no rebuff, James tried easing Q’s limbs into more comfortable positions and then just… remained there.

He was scared to Lobo of touching Q wrong and setting off another panic attack. He hadn’t even been able to do anything to help his young mate fight off that one.

“I, I could smell them…” Q murmured out, voice high and ragged and scared, snared. James couldn’t think of a single thing to say. “I, I could,” There was an audible swallow, Q’s legs twitching and tensing again. “I can’t _shake them off_.” At the words turning into a terrified growl James shifted to half-stand, not really thinking, or knowing, just feeling his heart rupturing.

“They’re not here…” He cut himself off before he could get further with that. It wasn’t the pack of alphas from that attack on the waterfall that Q could smell and be scared of. It was all alphas.

“Say the word. Tell me to take you away and we’ll leave.” Q shuddered and flinched as if tempted, but knowing as well as James did that they wouldn’t survive on their own being so conspicuous.

“Dis-distract me just distract me. Something, anything.” Put on the spot, it was hard. James took what felt like too many seconds to think.

“Mmm M found me as a pup you know. Angry, confused, there had been a rockslide. Nothing I could do, my parents had gone down in it. M came across me when she was out scouting, not quite the pack leader yet though nearly, her own father was nearly spent. I tried to kill her, can’t honestly remember why except I was terrified.” James could still remember the feeling of M’s thickly furred and rather unimpressed leg between his puppy jaws. Q remained tense as a thunderclap but his ears were pricked and listening, desperately focused as he shook.

“Didn’t take the old bat long to scruff me and drag me home. I followed her around like a shadow for the first month before another orphaned pup stumbled into me and we became friends. Don’t know how M kept finding all of us; it had been a hard winter that year for wolves. The whole pack had to move grounds…” He paused for a moment, remembering the harsh journey from their unfavourable home to find somewhere more secure, all the sub-packs of MI6 united rather than spread.

“Alec and I thrived on the journey, M’s father didn’t, but she did. We were grown by the time we made it to new grounds in the spring… When the winter came back, though I’d been in no danger for months, the first crack of a distant avalanche sent me running for the foothills even without being in danger. It was instinct, not weakness. Not reasonable, but brain-nature often isn’t. Still isn’t, sometimes… But it can get better.” He turned back to Q, finding green eyes open to him. “I know that much. This won’t control you, Q, not forever. Not unless you let it.”

There was silence save for the omega’s shaky breathing for a few moments.

“I don’t know how not to.” Q finally admitted in a small, terrified voice.

“You’ll take as much time as you need, but I wasn’t lying before; you beat them. Try and remember that, remember something good, or how you got away-“

“Sheer dumb luck and some fucking determination.” Q growled out, terrified still. James shrugged.

“Sometimes that’s all it takes. I used to remind myself that I’d learnt after how to avoid rockslides, I knew how to survive… But sometimes it was as simple as knowing that I’d out-run the bitch once, I could do it again.”

That, finally, got a small laugh out of Q, a shaky thing, but James would take it a thousand times over.

“You, James, are not just a pretty face.” Q managed, voice still shaky but holding a vaguely faint smile as he rolled onto his stomach and shook off a little, stretching tensely. But he was moving, that’s what mattered.

“And here I thought you just mated me for my good looks.” He teased back, and Q chuckled a little bit again.

“Not hardly. I rather thought that was why you mated me.” The alpha smirked, even seeing through Q’s bravado.

“I seem to remember you looked more bog-beast than wolf when we ran into each other. Not that you don’t look stunning in mud, but that wasn’t what shone through.”

The smile Q offered him then, shy and almost disbelieving, flushed and wondering, went straight to Bond’s chest.

“You’re unbelievable.” Q replied.

James was left in no doubt that Q was talking about more than his taste for the omega in mud.

-00Q00-

Quite how they had gotten moving again, Q didn’t know. James had insisted he ate and drank something before they set off and given him a thorough sniff over. It helped; knowing that his own wobbles weren’t going to throw off James. And whether that was due to biology or loyalty, Q was grateful for it.

Everything still wasn’t okay; the scent of other alphas was cloying in the air, on the breeze every which way. But with it came the scent of James and pine, fresh snow and occasionally prey that he hadn’t smelt in years. Large deer, and even bigger prey sometimes lived beyond the tree line.

He was getting used to it, and the constant creeping feeling up his back, but a fresh breath of wind brought a much more recent scent, and James perked beside him as Q froze. Another alpha, here.

“James,” Q whined, tensing, backing up a step. The alpha swung back to look at him, he was smiling, relaxed, excited.

“It’s alright Q, I can vouch for this one.” The omega’s eyes scanned up to where there was a languid and lolloping alpha trotting towards them. Every inch of him relaxed and built almost identical to James. Despite his mate’s assurances, the alpha still moved to step firmly in front of Q.

The wolf approaching them stopped at the movement and sat, looking like he would be grinning in his skin.

“James Bond. You sly old dog.” Came the call from over the way.

“Alec,” James greeted back, not moving from guarding Q but cheerful sounding. The other wolf whined a bit, eagerly, puppy-like, making a small shift forwards.

“Can I see him? The one to finally tie you down, that’s no small feat, can I?”

“When he’s ready.” James replied, and shuffled back a bit into Q’s fur, casting them almost impossibly close. The omega remained where he was but forced himself to poke a head over James’ shoulder. He’d been brave so far, he could be brave now.

“Damn he’s cute.” Alec stated, sounding impressed. “Why’s he with a battered old thing like you?” James growled playfully at the tease and Q frowned, rubbing his muzzle along James’ plush fur slightly. Scarred yes, battered no.

“You’re one to talk Trevelyan, your cosmetic issue hasn’t improved.” Q frowned a bit more, unsure as to what James was talking about, until a closer look at Alec revealed that the wolf had odd coloured eyes, one flecked brown, one flecked green, both with amber bases.

It was such an odd and surprising anomaly, intriguing, that Q stepped clumsily forward over James to peer from a foot closer. The blonde wolf opposite them wriggled forwards another couple steps, tail waggling wildly in excitement. If possible, he looked even denser furred than James.

And despite the fact that there clearly wasn’t a wasted muscle on Alec, and that he was built enough to take down a wild boar, he managed to look stunningly harmless in the same way that James had managed to seem unthreatening. Just something about his nature and approach put Q more at ease. He whined a bit unsurely, and James’ attention returned to him.

“You want to move closer?” The alpha asked calmly.

“…Not sure.” James lifted his shoulder under Q’s leg encouragingly.

“Come on, let’s try. We can stop.” Q cast James one last look.

“He’s not going to attack us?” It seemed a bit silly to ask something they couldn’t possibly know, but still. If they got attacked again, Q was going to turn downhill and just keep running.

As James said, he’d outrun them all once…

As if sensing some of the thoughts in his mate’s head, James focused a bit more.

“We’ll be one step ahead of him, Q. Together.” The thought was somewhat encouraging, and with a gulp and breath Q stepped the rest of the way over James’ bulk. The alpha stood to curve slightly around the front of Q as they walked forwards.

With only a couple of feet left to go Alec’s eagerness got the best of him. The wolf wriggled, whined and surged forwards with a playful greeting bound right at them. Q saw death and snarl-screamed even as he dropped to his back in defensive submission, teeth catching on Alec’s muzzle. James barged forwards into the other alpha bodily blocking him and closing jaws threateningly around his neck even as Alec stopped dead just inches short of them.

The three wolves held in the tense position of near-fight, panting and growling until Alec growl-whined in mild affront at the assault but apology. James released him and Q let go of his fang-scratched muzzle, dropping back to the ground trembling. Feeling vulnerable still the omega fought with adrenaline-less limbs to right himself and encountered a very low, very softly snuffle-whining nose inching towards him.

Blinking into more focus Q saw that Alec, though his quivering body hadn’t moved position from where James was standing primal and meaningful at his shoulder, had extended out his neck as much as he could. The alpha looked almost comically stretched and puppy-hopeful, apologetic, as he tried to sniff closer and formally meet Q, rump wriggling with his tail behind him.

James’ mouth was still tense as his eyes darted back to the younger wolf.

It took Q a moment to realise that his mate was trapped in the limbo of worry that he’d have to attack a wolf apparently his friend again, and torn by the knowledge that he would do it without doubt.

Shaking still, and taking a shuddered sniff, Q angled himself slightly away but bent to touch noses.

Alec licked his nose, causing Q to blink, and then was up and prancing in a comedic circle around them before reintroducing the idea of approaching. James grumbled a bit in warning, but Q tried to take a deep breath and remain still as the large wolf bounced up and, a little rudely, stuck his nose into the darker wolf’s thick fur.

The touch of wolf was at least different to human hands, but Q still remained tense as Alec snuffled all over his fluffed up ruff before bounding off to do the same to James.

Q watched the pair swiftly descend into a playful wrestling greeting and much sniffing before Alec was back nearly trampling over Q’s admittedly long tail. His yip and then yelp of pain at his own flinch had Alec hitting the deck and freezing, eyes fixed on Q worriedly, flicking repeatedly to James and looking as unthreatening as possible.

“You alright?” James fretted, jumping over.

“I’m okay.” Q replied quietly. Alec whined again a bit at the sound of his voice. The alpha slowly sat up, under James’ watchful eyes again. Slowly this time, and with a great more care, the odd-eyed wolf started sniffing and licking over Q.

He didn’t know whether the sudden gentleness or the distinctly brotherly nature of the motion was what surprised him into relaxing, but soon he found himself toppling over with James quickly moving to cushion him. Alec gently investigated Q’s various injuries and only sniffed under Q’s tail enough to probably recognise the lingering scent of James before pulling back and settling down to lounge as if that’s what the three of them had planned all along. The casual way the alpha rested paws over one of Q’s felt… secure, rather than dominating. Q dropped his head down to the ground with a greater sigh of relief, not entirely relaxed, but largely ok with the state of things.

James must have been feeling the same as his head dropped to one of its preferred resting places on Q’s hindquarters.

“We should get the pair of you to the medics. Don’t even try to hide that shoulder James.” Alec criticised lightly, fixing James with a look that the other alpha huffled away with a jovial shrug.

“It was worth it. Besides it barely stings now.” Q turned to look at him a bit.

“You’ve got some sharp teeth on you omega.” Alec teased, and then set about lightly chewing on Q’s captured paw. The younger wolf jumped and frowned up at James.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just odd. Never grew up properly.” Alec just humphed and settled down more to lick Q’s paw.

“Speak for yourself orphan.”

The causal teasing was somewhat soothing, if a little alienating.

“Sorry. It’s been coming in handy recently. Bite first and ask questions later.” He’d meant it as a test, to see if Alec was just playing with them and looking for a chance to show an omega his place…or take one. But the odd-eyed alpha just barked out a laugh and rolled away from Q’s paw to look at him properly.

“Huh, they said you were a bright one and all. Nice way to land yourself some lightning James. And you’re adorable, too.” Alec insisted and then moved to nudge Q’s eye-patches.

“Leave the patches, they’re mine.” James growled a little, only half serious, and Alec laughed again.

“Good to see you made it back.” The two of them shared a look.

“Good to see you too. Did everyone else get here?” Q tensed a little hearing it. Of course, James had said that his pack leader; M, had sent out multiple alphas to try and get to Q first. He hadn’t though of it at the time though… the idea that there could either be dead alphas James was close to, or that some of the alpha’s he was going to be in a pack with could have been involved in his near-rape, left him feeling ice in his veins.

“Most of them, but Silva-“ Q jolted to his feet and shook himself away to go sit a few meters from them with a whine. The memory of teeth sinking into his unprotected belly and _shaking_ … he couldn’t cope with hearing James relay the story in the hushed tones he was using.

Instead he looked out at the view down the mountain and tried to see where his old pack-lands were, but it was impossible from here.

He had a few minutes to calm before James appeared beside him, Alec nudging up incorrigibly on the other side.

“We’ll go together from here now, if you don’t mind, it’s not far, and you’re quite a smell for sore nose compared to my usual pack mates.”

It possibly shouldn’t have, but Alec’s casual and unusual approach to meeting his pack brother’s mate shocked Q out of tension so thoroughly that he couldn’t help feeling not-too-suspicious. Possibly even amused.

Glancing at the stark red scratches on Alec’s muzzle, Q ducked his head a bit and formed an apologetic expression.

“Sorry for the scratches.” Alec just laughed good-naturedly and turned to lead the way.

“My bad, keeps me on my toes!” He called back easily.

James shifted a bit closer and ruffled Q’s fur a little.

“Are you alright? We can not go with him if-“

“It’s fine.” Q turned to James and smiled, “he’s second best, but I don’t mind him too much.” James looked both chuffed and amused and Q licked him. They nuzzled indulgently for a bit before Alec called for them impatiently.

“Oi! Whenever you’re ready love birds, darkness isn’t just a concept you know.”


	2. Meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boom on schedule!... Man I'm cool! And a little hungry! Anyway, enjoy! ;D

[](http://imgur.com/3v3YuIu)

 

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The well-trod and familiar path that led into the heart of MI6’s winter settlement warmed James’ spirits. He couldn’t help the spring in his step as he led the way in next to Alec with Q beside him. The omega seemed a bit surprised at the nearness of it all. One minute they were passing through trees and the next the slope opened up before them to an undulating upwards view of the mountain scattered with pines, dens and the occasional cooking and equipment tents, rings of stones for fires, and most importantly; wolves.

Q stopped; jaw dropping as Alec howled a homecoming howl. James took it up as the pack turned to them, dropping what they were doing and either cheering or howling depending on whether they were wearing fur or skin. James fought the urge to leap up-slope to greet everyone on the sprawling encampment, instead nuzzling Q joyfully as the howl ended and wolves begun descending in a clamour. The omega shifted his weight back, wide-eyed and worried at the approach of alphas and betas alike.

“Back up, all of you, give them some breathing room for Blanca’s sake.” The use of ‘Blanca’ seemed to startle Q slightly out of rising terror, given the authoritative tone and crowd parting.

M stalked through the pack, parting it down the middle and forcing the excitable and investigative wolves to stop meters short of smothering them. Just behind her Tanner, the pack’s Chief of Betas and advisor, trotted faithfully. Directly next to M the pack leader of MI5, their direct neighbours, came along and paused a few respectable feet back as the white wolf continued forwards.

Alec grinned and flicked his tail in deference before sauntering away to greet some of the others. James looked to his leader and couldn’t help the smug smile he sent her way, slightly defiant. M merely rolled her eyes at him.

“Good job Bond. I’ll give you that much.” Chuffed, James moved out of the way from where he’d put himself in front of Q. “And you must be Q. I’ve been wanting to meet you for quite some time.” The omega blinked and flicked his ears unsurely.

Taking matters into her own hands M stalked up to Q, almost comically stout in comparison to his lean and leggy mate. The omega must have felt the same aura from her that James always did however, for he sat still and touched noses without becoming panicked. The alpha female moved around and sniffed at Q with brisk assessment, heeding the small, nervous but determined warning growl when she got too close to his bandaged middle. Retracting back M looked Q in the eyes and then, to James’ shock, licked him once on the ear followed by a small tug.

“Come, lets get you seen to, you too Bond. Don’t hide that shoulder from me.” Q glanced over with something akin to amusement and culture shock, and waited for him to make the first move. The whole pack evidently saw the easy way Q deferred to James’ choice over M’s decision, muted whispers going around.

Feeling a bit put on the spot James looked at Q. The calm eyes watching him back spoke clearly; the omega was only going to follow one wolf’s decisions over his own, and it wasn’t M’s. It was both exhilarating and mildly terrifying. A bit worried that M would skin him, and more than a little mate-proud, James went over to nuzzle Q briefly before leading the way behind M.

This time, Q followed without hesitation, appearing steadfast and brave and entirely put together in a way James wouldn’t have thought possible, before he realised the omega was simply coping by drowning out everything except the alpha beside him.

M raised a brow at the antics but otherwise led them in uncaringly towards the main pack den deep into the mountain. Tanner watched them, James especially, with something akin to shock. Not so flattering, but James supposed he could see the beta’s point. He’d hardly been the most willing or stable alpha up until now. The MI5 leader followed them into the den and into M’s main meeting cavern, moving to sit next to a very pale and long legged female alpha that James eyed narrowly. At least they were staying out the way.

The white wolf stepped up to her flat rock podium and swept up a white robe. The material swished around and seamlessly concealed M in her skin as she turned.

“Now, we can do without all of this silly ceremony, and let me take a look at you. Tanner, the medics.” Tanner busied into his own brown robe and went to do as bid. James turned back to find Q being slowly laid on his side, head between M’s careful hands and body limp. With a growl he was instantly forwards and trying to get over Q.

“For Lobo’s sake Bond, I’m not about to eat him.” M snapped, and closer he could see Q’s eyes open, watching him. In that instant he had no doubt that if some signal was given Q wouldn’t hesitate to try and bite M’s throat out. Gulping James shifted into his skin, ignoring M’s small noise of displeasure at his nakedness, and ran a hand along the thick fur of Q’s throat.

“Its okay, Q, I’m here.” Finally those too-focused eyes closed. James realised it wasn’t just bone deep terror Q had come out of this run with. It was deep distrust and a quick bite reflex. For all that he’d seen and knew Q to be sweet, James had seen his omega attack two alphas without pause on separate occasions. He knew of omegas coming through The Run brutalised to the point of learned helplessness. But rage and viciousness in omegas was a rare and often feared of condition. They said it heralded from some madness.

He couldn’t have Q attacking anyone here, never mind that it was James’ pack, he wouldn’t have Q taken away from him, by M or Mycroft Holmes or anyone else.

Q was his, and he was Q’s, and it was down to him to encourage Q back to calm. Back to peace. Back to feeling like he didn’t have to watch out for teeth coming down from behind. They could protect each other.

The slight nose of Q nudged closer to Bond’s thigh and he stroked the velvet head soothingly. This wolf…they were entwined.

“We’ll want a den. One of our own.” James said aloud and without room for manoeuvre. Q’s eyes opened to him, as did M’s sharp blue ones.

“Yes, that’s all very feasible, but can we take a look at this one’s wounds for now? You won’t be able to move to a separate den until the medics clear him. And I’ll need a report.”

James didn’t reply to her the first thing on his mind; that some things weren’t for the ears of other wolves. Q saved him from replying by shifting into his skin beneath them, positioned to cover himself but James still growled and hurriedly grabbed for a layabout fur to drape over him.

“Where’s my brother?” Q’s voice was soft and vague, tired, eyelids starting to droop. James lifted the dark haired head to rest on his lap. “Mycroft, is he-“

“He’s on his way. Skirting around the entirety of No Man’s Land takes time, but the reports he’s managed to send through show he’s making good time. He’ll make it before winter falls.” Q‘s mouth twitched in some secret smile of amusement before the medics descended and he gripped James’ ankle tightly as they investigated him.

The alpha held and stroked his head, trying to hold back both Q’s and his own instincts to bite.

Possibly Q wasn’t the only one of them prone to biting first.

-00Q00-

Q had been examined, scrubbed –by just himself and James thankfully, in an astounding underground heated spring- and plastered with poultice and bandages till movement was a bit of a pest for reasons other than fatigue. By the end of it he was simply clinging to James and exhausted. It wasn’t really how he wanted to be seen by what was meant to be his new pack, but everything other than James’ scent was just a bit too much right now.

They remained where they’d been fixed up and placed in a surprisingly ventilated yet warm area of the vast mountain den where the medical area seemed to be. It was about as far as possible from what his pack used to be like, advanced and yet primitive… Down in the deep valleys he and Mycroft, along with the rest of their pack, had all lived in small hut-like houses. Q had slept in the main room where they would sit and have a fire, Mycroft’s area separated by a curtain save for when Q clambered in to sleep with him. He missed his brother viscerally surrounded by all these new pack scents.

On the other hand, the MI6 pack had some amazing technological advances despite their mountain home. The cavernous underground den with its facilities was just one. But Q was endlessly relieved that James had demanded them a private den. He didn’t really feel stable here at all yet.

There also were no beds as such. Q had tried to explain the concept to James, who had looked at him queer and asked what they did to guard the space beneath. Q had laughed till it tired him out. For now they were heaped on a white-furred and blanketed nest-bed, James propped against the wall and Q plastered to him, wrapped in firm arms and nose pressed in close to James’ throat. Every time someone passed close Q could feel the growl reverberate through his skull from where his mate’s chin rested atop his hair. Thankfully, everyone was giving them a wide if very inquisitive berth.

“We need to do the, uh, internal examination now, if you could-“

“ _What_ internal examination?” James demanded, hauling Q closer. Q, for his part, simply _didn’t_ want to be touched anymore, and turned further into James with a little rumbling whine of a growl, trembling a little. For some reason, James tensed at the sound. “Whatever you want, the answer is no.”

“Bond don’t be daft. You know as well as I do what we have to look for.” Q cracked an eyelid open at the sound of M’s voice. James clearly deferred without issue to his pack leader, but Q couldn’t quite trust anyone else yet. Luckily, she seemed to understand this, and indeed turned blue eyes on him. He hated that they were about the only feature in this strange and fuzzy place he could make out.

“We need to know if you can still bear pups. I’m sure you can understand it’s rather imperative that you are able to-“

“No.” The world, James included, seemed to freeze at his protest.

“I’m sorry, did you say something?” M snapped, as if it was preposterous to talk back. But she wasn’t _Q’s_ pack leader, alpha, anything. And he’d had Blanca damned _enough_ of being pushed around at the whim of other wolves.

His mother, when she was alive, hadn’t taught him to run, hunt and investigate just to go through all that and give up. Mycroft had told him to run, and whilst his approval was pending Q would take his chance. James had told him to be proud. And to be fair; it was true. None of these wolves had been through the like of what he had.

“It’s well known that infertile omegas stop going into heat. I’ll be having my second one anywhere within the next three to five weeks, probably. And if I never go into it, there wouldn’t be anything you could do about it now, beyond what you have. If I do, well, I’ve been told I’m resilient. So no, you don’t get to keep touching me.” The blob that was M seemed to puff up as James’ hands tensed on him.

“I would have thought there wasn’t any need to remind you of all that we’ve done for your cause-“ Q shot to his feet as well as he could, out of the furs, James’ hands slipping down his body to remain on his thighs.

“ _Look_ at me.” Q hissed, barely keeping his feet and glaring at the silent room in general. Even furious he couldn’t hide his shaking, there were alphas _alphas alphas_ here and- “Don’t pretend you didn’t help me for your own cause. Now you’re saying to _me_ that if I’m infertile you’ll, what, throw me out? Separate me from my _mate_? How fucking pretentious you are, believing you have the right to own another wolf like that. Now let me rest.” Nearly perfect, if his voice hadn’t cracked on the last word, or been so quiet… Or if he wasn’t shaking.

He wanted Mycroft, he wanted _James_.

Still, the room seemed uncomfortably struck by either his naked batteredness or the fact that he was able to back talk to an alpha half-blind. Well let them try, let them fucking try! If they came any closer he’d _bite_ them, he’d done it before, James said that was all it took and he was the only one Q trusted of the whole damned lot-“

“You might want to agree with this one, Ma’am.” The gentle suggestion from what seemed to be a high ranking beta somewhat helped turn the tides, or possibly James’ hands and body rising to stand supportively behind Q, one hand warm on his bandaged and sore belly. There was an audible sniff from M.

“Yes, I suppose so. Quite right too. Apologies. Get these two some food. We can all get rather overexcited, it seems.”

“And get him some glasses too, you don’t need to touch him for that.” James demanded, pointing at someone in the gathered group.

Q sagged utterly as the wolves dispersed. James rocked him back down, cradling the limp wolf in his arms and voice shushing slightly. Keeping his eyes closed and attempting to breathe until he was required to focus for whatever he needed to do for glasses sounded like a truly excellent plan.

-00Q00-

Things couldn’t have gone much worse, really, James reflected. He’d kept Q close all night, everyone giving them a wide and guilty berth after the omega’s accusations earlier. The cruelty was, Q was right, the only reason he was safe was because MI6 had designs on him…

The only difference was that, thanks to Mycroft, they were meant to be kind hearted about it. To Q there had to be little difference, stranded in a strange pack that expected a love-struck, breedable and thankful omega. Instead they’d got a very young, warped and sharp edged wolf who’d reached the end of his tether.

To be fair, so had James. He wanted to greet his friends and get Q into a den somewhere safe of their own choosing. Still shushing gently the alpha turned to kiss Q’s hair, wishing he knew which of his pack he could trust.

And not just because of the betrayal at the hands of Silva…

When Q had stood, bruised and battered and bandaged but bare the other gazes on him had been both guilty and hungry. They _wanted_ his mate. James wouldn’t leave him for an instant.

Q mumbled in his doze and shifted agitatedly. Neither of them could get much sleep, the omega’s nose was constantly working and now his eyes opened again, blinking around fuzzily with a half-awake frown. It didn’t help that he couldn’t see. His eyes had been tested, but it would take a while to mould frames into the right shape.

James shifted the fur covering the younger wolf up more securely, settling him as Q huddled back into him again, eyes suspicious on his surroundings.

“We’re alright, we’re alright.” It was hardly the homecoming he’d anticipated.

“James, don’t ever leave me.” Q mumbled, shifting himself to cling to the alpha more securely. His arms contracted fiercely.

“Never, Q.”

Things would get better. Q was exhausted and couldn’t see. M had come on too strong. They could work through this once they accepted the omega needed his space… and that James was readying to bite anyone who disrespected that decision.

As long as Q didn’t get to them first.

-00Q00-

The glasses were ready by morning, and Q could look upon the world again with a clarity that seemed to lend him confidence. James had taken him to a more secluded room to find some spare, fitting clothes that were soft and comfortable enough to satisfy his protective nature. Carefully he offered the black-framed spectacles to his mate. Q unfolded them and slipped the long string around his neck before tucking the arms over his ears experimentally. The string would prevent the glasses from becoming lost when a wolf changed into their fur, instead hanging around the neck securely, ready for use again.

The omega eventually peeked up at him through the frames and blinked a lot with a huff of wonder.

“You’re so clear.” Q said, voice hitching and a small, fragile smile appearing on his face. James grinned at the sight before him, he hadn’t been wrong; Q looked adorable.

“Hello, mate.” He replied, beaming. Q blushed a bit.

“Hi,” A curious hand reached up to touch the skin beneath his eyes, trace the faint edge of a scar, smooth a thumb along his hairline… James turned slightly and pressed a kiss into Q’s palm, causing him to blush a bit deeper, and leant back to rest against the rock as his hands found and stroked Q’s hips.

“Better?” Q met his eyes and grinned.

“Better than better.” James could live with that, happily, and pulled Q closer into a soft kiss, their first proper one, perhaps, since his heat.

Q’s lips melted against his, tongue meeting and exchanging with James’, the world solidifying slightly. They ended up forced apart for air, Q turning into James’ neck instead and nuzzling there. Eventually they managed to separate and dress themselves against the cool air, ready to be formerly introduced to the pack.

Ready as they would ever be, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The pack hath been reachedeth! I think originally I'd planned for this all to go very smoothly and everyone to be happy as clams... but then this happened, which is good in a way because no way would everyone be completely relaxed from the get go. Hopefully it came across okay anyway, I thought the characters would likely have some conflict to sort out. But please do let me know your thoughts!
> 
> A HUGE thank you to all the lovely comment and kudos that were dished out, great to see people picking this up for the sequel and I hope you keep enjoying :D  
> Next chapter same time next week and see you then!


	3. Discover.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that week wasn't great! Good to get back to wolfie times for a nice relieving remedy, hope you all enjoy :D

[](http://imgur.com/0IcHEXs)

 

\---

 

The greeting ceremony was rather formal, given the sort of pack Q was used to. However, he could at least see this time, and the mountains in the light took his breath away. Not to mention the sheer number of wolves.

“For our pack, our protection, our pride; welcome them!” M’s words brought out a howl so strong and loud that it sent shivers to Q’s bones. He hadn’t heard anything of such magnitude since the start of The Run, and here it was refracted across the mountainsides and ringing in the air around them. James’ hand in his helped somewhat, although the alpha would probably have bruises from Q’s death grip later.

To be standing lone in skin along with just James and M; the rest of the pack howling in fur, felt strange and surreal… an odd sense of superiority being imparted that Q neither appreciated nor understood.

He didn’t understand much of this place, though he could admit that it was impressive, and the MI6 pack was huge beyond measure. MI5 being co-mingled at the moment didn’t make matters any easier.

Maybe he was in more over his head than he thought… but the omega had never given much thought to what another pack would be like, only another alpha.

A worryingly large part of him wanted to rebel, to run… He had, ironically, had the most bizarre taste of freedom in those two weeks after the Run with James. Even during the Run itself he’d been under no influences save his own.

Abruptly he was an ‘item’ again.

The feeling smarted somewhat.

Gradually the pack dispersed, or was ordered to. Q lingered for a while as some important wolves talked to James and wandered off a short way to the crest of hill outside the main den. The view of the jagged razor edge of mountain reared up before him to pierce the sky forebodingly. Tilting his head and frowning, wondering minutely at the clarity that his new glasses provided him, Q considered what lay on the other side.

“That’s were Lobo and Blanca came from. Or so the legend goes.” Q twisted a bit stiffly to see M’s short figure moving up beside him, her gaze on the mountains rather than the omega.

“’The legend goes’… You don’t believe in it then?” Q asked, forcing his voice steady and sniffing just to smell James nearby. M scoffed slightly.

“Oh I believe it as much as I can throw it. No wolf could hope to pass over there.” Q raised a brow as the older wolf pointed at a distant ridge. “See that flatter area? It’s what we named ‘Intelligence Pass’ although Lobo knows it wasn’t intelligence that would guide any wolf through there. The cliff comes to a sheer drop, the mountains split in two by some unlawful force of nature, with a twenty-foot gap across the crevice to the other side. I traversed as much of the ridges as I could back in my youth and never once found a feasible crossing. However ‘Lobo and Blanca’ miraculously crossed over, it wasn’t there, despite the namesake. And whatever else is over there is long-lost to us.”

The change from cutthroat alpha to theoriser was surprising enough to keep Q’s tongue and body in one place. Frowning slightly he turned to her.

“You can’t have trailed the whole thing. The mountains I grew up in were smaller than this and I could never cover them all.” M shot him a sharp glance.

“Most wolves wouldn’t question my word… you’re a very odd omega.” Reminded of his status so soon? Q tensed and turned away, squinting at the mountain heights.

“I’m not odd. I’m alone. Who’s to say what the others would be like, if they could see this.” M’s gaze turned appraising and sharp, but a surprising distance away from cruelty.

“The Run is barbaric. We should be beyond such thuggish instincts. In these time if in no other. I never took part.” Q turned to her stunned at that, eyes wide and disbelieving.

“You didn’t?”

“Blanca no.” She huffed. “Swore I’d run for someone one time but turned away before the start, terrified of being harmed, or seeing them claimed by someone else in front of me.. I was young then.” Maybe an alpha, or most wolves, would take this at face value, but Q got the impression that M had never forgiven herself for that. He wondered what had happened to the omega, though surely in that time their run hadn’t been so terrible as his. He hoped not, anyway. Either way, to be so brazen about admitting it showed a fearless confidence that pack leaders in Q’s history had lacked… or maybe hiding truths with truths… Very Mycroftian of her.

“Bond has given me the bare bones of your run. The injuries on you told me the rest. Few wolves could have made it through that, and certainly no alphas I know of…” M turned to glare one final time at the mountain’s grinning teeth.

“Makes you wonder what sort of wolves Lobo and Blanca had to be, to dictate that such an atrocity be part of Wolf Law.”

With the bitter last words M turned and left. Q couldn’t help watching her go before his eyes turned back to the heights.

If the mountains were impassable, and the tradition so cruel, then how _had_ wolves crossed over, and what had driven them to do it?

Regardless, he couldn’t combine the images of the benevolent, strong Blanca and Lobo in his head with the ones M seemed to see. Although, he could admit feeling a certain degree of acceptance towards the older wolf.

Never mated? Never even _attempted_ to? She must have earned her place as leader then, for the pack to accept a theoretical dead end as their guiding light. Not that anyone had much choice now. And then, his own pack had accepted Moriarty, so, who knew.

Shaking his head of the clutterish thoughts and hastily reaching up to steady his new glasses, Q turned around only to be absorbed into a fierce hug from James.

“I thought she’d want to get you alone, sorry.” Huffing out a laugh softly, Q curled himself into James’ embrace, the world feeling a bit sunnier by the man’s mere presence.

Blanca but he had it bad.

“She wanted to tell me about the mountains and philosophy. Maybe I could get used to that sort of interaction.” James’ grin was almost audible.

“I could tell you about _my_ exploration of the mountains instead. I assure you I tell it with more thrills.” Q laughed again, wrapping an arm around James’ neck and grounding himself in the other wolf, in the thought of the two of them clambering across the mountains and dancing down the other side completely free.

“Tell it to me, then, James.”

-00Q00-

Finally, after what seemed like dragged-out days of ceremony and medical checks and arranging, James was able to lead Q out denning. In the early hours of the morning, the two excited wolves snuffled each other awake and shared a short grooming session before trotting out into the barely-populated bliss of near-sunrise.

“Come on, this way.” James nudged his head towards the faint snow-packed trail that led towards the end of the main encampment and beyond. Q, eager and -save his sore middle- better than the alpha had ever seen him, padded forwards with pricked, excited ears. He took a moment to adore the way the omega’s glasses bounced gently off the thick fur on his chest and then they were off.

The trail gradually disappeared under recent snowfall, and Q gave a little gambol at the fresh powder beneath his paws, bouncing down into a play bow that James happily responded to. For a while they raced in pouncing circles around each other across the mountains, pausing each time they came to a den or burrow and investigating. Knowing the slopes, James had brought them to an area that was largely uninhabited. Most of the pack lived in the main den, and those scattered nearest by. These ones used to be favoured by mated couples, of which there now weren’t any.

Seldom did any wolves that had lost their mates want to stay in their old den.

Despite the desertedness this area was almost safer than the main den, given that any attacking wolves would have to come _through_ there to reach the only passable trails up to these burrows. The dens were situated on a gentle slope with stunning views that curved up slowly for miles, unlike the familiar steep snow-laden mountain sweeps, the are was fairly safe from nature’s fowl plays. Then there was the fact that if they weren’t in the main burrow, not only would Q be more relaxed, but there would be no other wolves to try anything on his mate, sexual or otherwise.

Finally, in the back of his mind, lingered James’ reasoning that should Q become pregnant, the spot was ideal for raising pups without them having to move again and potentially unsettle a ready-to-pup Q.

Their play in the snow tired Q after a while and they returned to trotting in straight wolf-lines between the dens, dipping in to investigate each one. James glanced back at Q sniffing and padding along behind him, and resisted doing anything too puppy-like in excitement.

Licking his lips, James wondered how soon Q’s next heat would be. Omegas typically had four a year, one a season, but Q had no established pattern yet. That would be set with the second heat.

Winding through the dens eventually brought them to one Q seemed more curious about than the others, looking up at the overhang that protected the entrance from the snow above, a couple of boulders lying just outside the opening that provided both protection from forming drifts and places to sit. Prepare food, maybe? James nosed at one and stood his front paws on it to peer into the innards of the den.

“Lets have a look.” Q said, trotting into the entrance. James cast one look back at the deserted wilderness in case they’d been followed somehow, and then moved forwards to catch up side-by-side with Q. The den mouth narrowed and nearly got them stuck together until James stood on tip-claws for Q to worm through underneath, huffing in a wolfish laugh. The narrowing opened into a large-ish, comfortable main den, warmer than the outside by a good few degrees. Off from that sprouted three other smaller dens.

_For pups_. James couldn’t help but think. _And storage_. Q trotted all the way around the den three times and went in and out of the smaller areas and the narrowing too. Eventually he came back and sat down, then changed into his skin and put on his glasses. Following suit, James was pleased to see that he could stand and stretch and not-quite touch the ceiling, the smaller dens were a bit shallower but he didn’t need to stoop. The initial narrowing before the short, slightly curving tunnel that led to the outside required him to bend, but that was good from a defence point of view.

“Its big.” James turned to Q.

“You like that?” The omega smiled a little.

“It would feel good to have our own space.” He nodded in agreement at that.

“We can get some candles in for light. The whole place will need sweeping out. And it’s not ideal to move blankets up when there’s snow but-“

“Candles? You don’t have lamps?” James turned to Q, hard to make out in the dark with human senses.

“Lamps?” Q laughed a little.

“They’re hard to explain, but I expect I can make one around here. I was fiddling with Clockwork mechanics before The Run.” James frowned and came to sit down, curious.

“Clockwork mechanics?”

“We didn’t have metal very often, but when we did if you could heat it up hot enough and meld-“

It took James about a minute to realise that Q was even brighter than he first thought, and that the alpha’s own blood was set a-boil for the opportunity to see the man in action… possibly use some of those clever sounding trinkets for himself if he could swing it.

After some time in their new den and exploring the surroundings to be sure of their decisions, the sun was beginning to get warm-coloured and heavy in the sky and James determined it time to head back. They would need to get provisions, James’ own collection of furs and other items and the like. Food, get the den cleaned out. It would be an undertaking, but a satisfying one.

-00Q00-

Searching for everything they needed, not to mention carting it up a mountain, made for a bigger undertaking than Q had ever expected. It also threw him right into the middle of the MI6 pack, and rather forced him to cope with it.

That first day, when Bond was announcing their choice of den to M so that they were official, the alpha wouldn’t leave him alone. Which was handy, really, as Q didn’t want his man to go anywhere. Together they explored James’ personal belongings, something that was endless fun for a curious Q, pawing through years of his mate. The alpha had some collected items, things like furs and the like. Overall a nice starting base for a den, but not enough.

Q, of course, had nothing of his own to contribute to their future. He hadn’t had much of his own even back in the home he shared with Mycroft. They needed to bargain for more.

Some wolves were giving them ‘mating’ gifts, Alec, who had become sort of a tertiary member of their two-wolf pack, had given them a set of finely honed hunting and cooking knives. He also seemed to be apparently acting as a guard for Q. The omega thought it was both a little sweet and rather patronising that James thought he couldn’t see through this, until both alphas pointed out that they’d never made secret of the fact.

“You’re precious to him, Q. Can’t blame the man for wanting to keep you safe.” Alec pointed out, whilst he and Q sat a few meters from James in the evening as the man bartered for sufficient medical supplies to last out any conceived emergency in their den.

Occupied, thankfully, by attempting to make lamps –one small thing he could provide for their home was innovation- Q accepted Alec’s statement. Besides, the other blonde alpha was pretty much the only one he felt vaguely comfortable with, by necessity if not entirely by reason.

Alec wouldn’t be the end of it however, merely the start in pushing him further into the conjoined MI6 and 5 packs. As James drove most of the collections and ordering trusted only parties up the mountain, directing them all to slightly different dens so no one knew the right one, Q sought to keep them both supplied with food. He’d been forbidden from any heavy lifting, which was a relief, but had become fascinated with studying some of the glasswork and like that the wolves here were cultivating.

Q stayed closest to the betas where he could, Alec or James hanging around whilst he investigated, but going to the food-cavern often put him in the presence of unknown alphas.

At one such time Q was sidling into the mostly abandoned room only to pause and turn at a familiar, half-known scent.

“Surprised the bitch didn’t gut him while she had a chance.” An ice-blonde female alpha was commenting in an almost bored fashion as she selected a few chunks of meat to eat from a serving stone. “That’s what I would have done.”

“Yes and we all know how often Harry calls you in to analyse traitors for that reason alone.” Came another sarcastic, far too familiar, and sarcastically amused voice.

“You!” Q blurted out, shocked and stunned into nearly dropping his own wooden plates and staring rather dumbly at the male alpha turning to him.

“Q,” Dark and blue, the alpha who had seemed so comparatively not-violent and helped Q run on the top of the mountain, was standing plain as day before him and the omega felt like he’d seen a ghost. To be fair, so did the alpha, who was sporting some heavy bandages. Courtesy, no doubt, of being involved in the four-way fight that had occurred.

“Oh, know each other do you?” The blonde noted, expression teasing whilst still managing to remain largely unaffected and cold. Dark and blue moved forwards towards the frozen omega.

“I’d thought you were dead, I never heard the call go up. Only found out after waking up. Its Lukas, North.”

“I thought you were dead too.” Q commented, and stared at the hand outstretched to him, the other one in a cast and sling. Tentatively, he reached out to shake it, as if just to prove that the man was in fact real.

To prove that not all good alphas were either his family, or mate, or Alec, or dead.

“I’m glad you made it.” The low voice sounded so honest, and without designs, that Q found himself blinking rapidly.

“You too.” He hashed out, roughly, and took his hand back to scratch at the itchy-painful healing wounds on his belly. The whole thing was entirely surreal, but at this stage Q was almost desperate to see some known face in the crowd.

“So you’re MI6 then.” He confirmed, thinking this only made sense, backed up M’s decision to send in alphas that could control themselves… though that still didn’t explain Silva.

“MI5,” Lucas corrected, and gestured to the female next to him. “This is Ros Myers, pack-mate.”

“Hello.” Ros greeted with a sort of pleasantry-bored smile. “So you’re the one that bagged Bond then, can’t say I can judge your choice in mates.”

“Even if he does have an ego the size of Intelligence Pass.”

“Slanders, all of it.” James’ voice relaxed Q from where he was about to jump to a hasty defence of his mate, realising that both MI5 wolves’ smiles were exasperated but friendly. Q leant back into the secure arm around his waist.

“Really, we were just impressed you didn’t manage to set fire to the den whilst you waited.”

“That’s Alec’s speciality, besides I didn’t see you there.” James countered with.

“Well, you know, all that running around, does a nightmare on one’s hair.”

Q wondered vaguely whether sarcasm was a pre-requisite for joining the MI-etc packs or if it was cultivated by force. That and banter, it was almost ridiculous. He had thought his own family were bad for it.

Well, maybe they were still worse. Q found himself quite proud of that at least.

“You did alright, though… In the end?” It was an awkward way of asking everything that two people thrown together in hell needed to ask, but pierced by the alpha’s sharp yet compassionate eyes Q couldn’t think of anything witty to reply with.

“Yes… thank you.” Q admitted at the end. Because he’d never had time nor thought to do so in the moment. Yet he’d known that wolf had spared him pain.

“Please I barely managed to do anything.” And it was a plea, with a slightly shamed shake of the head as if to ward off praise. Q managed to hold his increasingly unpredictable tongue that wanted to point out all the things he at least _didn’t_ do.

“Well this is all turning nice and maudlin.” Ros spoke with another smile and picked up her plate. “Should we have a party while we’re at it?”

“I thought you hated parties.” Lucas pointed out, still caught-in-memories, but smiling wryly.

“Come on, you know how Harry gets before a pack meeting.” With that she led the way out, and James –though keeping a close eye- leant to get food.

“See you around, I hope, Q.” Came the gravel-voiced but cheerier farewell.

“Alright, good bye.” Q returned. What did one say in that situation? Weighted and strangely settled at the same time, Q sighed and went to hug James, who huddled him close.

“Alright gorgeous?” Breathing in his mate’s ideal scent, and feeling the security in his arms, Q let just a little bit more of his tension go.

“Better, actually… There were only two good wolves I met on that run, and other than you, he was one of them.” Q didn’t say more to the story than that. James, who would know which encounter the omega was talking about, would garner enough from that.

“Not comparable, of course, but good to know they aren’t all like Silva if they’re not you.” James huffed a chuckle and pulled Q closer to the food.

“I’m just glad that so many of them came back. With the way things were going down during The Run, I thought…”

Or course. They had been James’ pack members out there too.

“Me too.” Somehow, the thought of good wolves being sent in to potentially loose their lives in order to protect him was as harrowing as it was shocking. To meet them and pick them out of the crowd, well. Blinking from his reverie, Q realised James was watching him.

“Have I told you today that you’re incredible.” Flabbergasted, Q shook his head a little.

“Well you are. To be honest a few day ago I wouldn’t have thought you could handle that.” Sighing in agreement, Q nodded his head.

“I’m not sure I would’ve. But at least he was… known and somewhat proven? There’s too many of you all here for me. My pack was very small.” Q had said it enough times, but that didn’t make it less true. Bond sniffed the air and then growled softly, turning to nuzzle into a shocked Q’s neck.

“James?”

“Sorry.” Came the gruff response, though the alpha didn’t move. “I’m not used to anyone else’s smell but Alec on you. I may be here for some time.” And that was something of a relief too. Q brought a hand to card through James’ short hair with a move so fluid it surprised even himself.

“Please, you know I’d much rather smell of you anyway.” James growled at that and bit Q’s neck gently.

Q wasn’t entirely sure he would ever get used to James’ focus on him, but he certainly never wanted it to end. Unable to express that however, he settled for placing a lingering kiss on James’ temple, which seemed to do the trick nicely enough. At least if James’ purr was anything to go by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Denning! I love writing dens x3 it's swiftly becoming my favourite thing...probably because mmm _hibernating so good_!  
>  In terms of the picture for this chapter the snow effects were fun to play with and actually worked pretty well, at least in my mind ;D (plus Q's tail came out cute!) ...even if the dens ended up not quite right seeming... anyway!
> 
> Thank you all for SO MUCH joyness last chapter in response terms! You're all amazing and often make me laugh, plus also 101 kudos already? Holy-wow that's cool! Many hugs and may much enjoyment continue! :D


	4. Bind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh tried to upload this last night but HUGE Internet fail occurred! Hope to resume normal schedule from now on ;D  
> Enjoy!
> 
>  **WARNING:** Brief hunting scene in this chapter, for those who wish to avoid.

[](http://imgur.com/kOw3cLW)

 

\---

 

Getting the den set up entirely and to perfection took a week. The last day was especially exhausting as it required Q and James alone moving all the spread out effects from the decoy-dens into the one they had truly chosen.

Finally, on an early morning at the end of November, James woke up with Q curled around him as they rested on the giant pile of furs and blankets, the soft glow of Q’s remarkable lamps and lanterns giving a warm comfort to the main den.

Lazily stroking a hand up and down Q’s back, James languished in the feeling of their isolation from the demands of such a large pack… Which reminded him.

Gently rolling Q over onto his back the alpha carefully checked the less-bandaged bite wound, finding it recovering nicely. A wide yawn and stretch from the omega paused James’ investigation and he moved up to cover Q’s neck with his scent.

“Mmm morning.” Q greeted, hands falling to the familiar position of scratching lightly through James’ hair.

“Morning.” James replied, pressing a few slow kisses to Q’s collarbone.

With Q healing, it was becoming increasingly hard to keep from being as intimate as he would like. The bond screamed for him to twine together with the omega. They’d not had sex since the tail end of Q’s heat, and James needed that connection on some visceral level. But, as it was the pair of them, Q in particular, had come on leaps and bounds in terms of physical intimacy. He wasn’t about to risk pushing the younger wolf too far.

Forcing himself to sit up, James grinned down at Q.

“You ready?” there was a quirked eyebrow.

“For what?”

“It’s traditional, first morning after a night in the confirmed mating den, the pair must go on a first hunt.” Q laughed in disbelief.

“That’s not the tradition, you’re meant to walk the boundaries of your new territory together aren’t you?” James frowned, wrinkling his nose.

“Not as far as I’m aware, but I don’t see why we can’t do both. We are mingling packs after all.” Q’s fingers traced down his arm briefly.

“That we are.”

-00Q00-

James wasn’t expecting their first hunt to be successful, necessarily, but it was symbolic. He led them in a round-about way that would have the dual purpose of showing off the home territory to Q, even going right the way up to the rift of Intelligence Pass before turning back. James had had to grab Q’s scruff when the omega stuck his nose out over the sheer drop.

“Careful Q! The winds up here are sucking ones.” Q looked back at him awkwardly from where he was held forelegs aloft in James’ jaws.

“Sucking winds?” Firmly carting the both off them a few meters down from the edge it had taken them an hour to climb to, and nearly sitting on Q, James let go.

“Right at the high passes the wind can either be so strong it plucks you right off the mountain. Or, if you’re bracing against it, a sudden drop in wind can overbalance you enough to pull you right off. You can’t just _lean over_ the edge like that. Lobo.”

Q stared at James and back at the ledge.

“Oh, I see… Sorry.” Shaken still, James just settled down to sit over Q a bit more, the omega ‘oofing’ as his body smooshed into snow-covered ice. “So you don’t have any soaring winds then?” The question surprised James enough into calming.

“What winds?” Q, with difficulty, gestured over to the opposite ring of mountains in the far distance to the left –the High Mountains where Q would have grown up. Strange, isolated peaks that were nearly uninhabitable and stood between the packs surrounding No Man’s Land and the lower, warmer regions where the Lowland wolves lived.

“When I was growing up sometimes there would be enough of a brush-wind storm that the soaring winds would kick up in the peaks. If you ran within a soaring wind and leaped you’d be carried for miles… well, maybe not miles.” Q offered a sheepish grin and James licked his eye patches firmly for a few minutes.

“If there’s any wind like that then no one’s been keen to explore it. The winds up here are too dangerous to play in. Come on, there’s more to see than this, and we still need to hunt.” It was easier to move than to think about Q’s seeming lack of care for himself, and James didn’t want to snarl at him for being stupid. But he worried whether compared to The Run any other form of danger seemed redundant to Q.

No, maybe not. Q was sticking closer now, and though he glanced repeatedly back at the narrow, ice-rock strewn opening to the ridge, the omega seemed to pick his way more carefully cross the slopes as they moved on.

-00Q00-

Q was beginning to get tired until he and James first spotted a small herd of mountain goats. Challenging prey, and tracking them had taken a while. Relearning to read the lie of the snow and subtle catches of fur on rock had taken a large portion of Q’s concentration. James had appeared thrilled when Q began leading the way, nose twitching and eyes alert, ears swivelling. But it was the alpha who had implemented their pincer attack plan to great effect.

To be honest Q was so blown away by watching the stretch of James’ limbs and muscles, gleaming coat, streaking across the snowline that he nearly tripped over his own paws. There wasn’t an inch of wasted movement, the alpha didn’t have to look down at his feet once to know they would land true and Q, who had been enjoying the thrill of running free, felt an entirely different set of shivers overtaking his body.

With Q as unrecovered as he was, and James making up a lot of the leg work, it was amazing they managed to catch even the old goat they did, but Q managed to get to the pinch point just in time to scare the prey back into James’ range.

He’d always loved the thrill of the chase, the freedom of it, more than the satisfaction some got from the completion of a hunt. But there was something particularly sweet about the whole affair with a mate. And when James’ vivid blue eyes met his, the shade of the sky, Q couldn’t help his keen of longing and darting forwards to lick at James’ muzzle and roll over.

Somewhat surprised with himself Q blinked, body thrumming and panting. James stepped closer over the snow until he was nearly over Q, then ducked to sniff under the base of Q’s tail. The omega felt the damp coolness only with the gentle breath from his mate and wriggled in surprise and realisation.

If he was getting slick in his fur, there was only one possible cause.

Q was coming into his heat, again.

-00Q00-

The pack was excited, ecstatic, and possibly quite envious. There had been no concrete proof that Q was fertile after the trauma of The Run, and certainly no one had been expecting a second heat as soon as this. Just six weeks after his first. Some of the older wolves were imperiously suggesting that this showed Q was a particularly fertile omega or a ‘natural breeder’. The nature of those conversations left James feeling disgusted. To him, all that mattered was Q, and the encouraging, if occasionally jealous comments of his closest brethren in the pack.

He’d situated Q in their den after their first hunt had ended in the discovery of oncoming heat and a triumphant howl. The pack had heard and sent delighted responses singing across the mountains. James could _smell_ Q on the wind and was loath to stay away even as long as it took to get supplies ready for them.

Q, of course, was quite happy to tinker and potter around their den rather than run the gauntlet of potentially uncontrollable alphas again. James had left Alec scouting nearby in case any of the younger or greedier alphas tried their hand whilst he ran about for food and ways to melt enough water to drink, comforts and things to ensure Q’s health. This heat would be different. Q was already more relaxed than he could possibly have been last time.

Crucially, this time, James was going to ensure that Q completely enjoyed it.

-00Q00-

Alec never approached the den directly, but he and Q occasionally called messages to each other. The weather had also started to turn nasty; winter had been quite balmy and free from storms until now. But the winds were picking up and all Q wanted was James back in their den and very, very close.

Sometimes it amazed him that he could still feel a little shy, but as during his first heat he’d been almost a non-entity the omega was left with a tumble of anticipatory nerves.

They’d only had about a day between discovering the onset of heat and when it would hit full force. With just a few hours left Q was feeling antsy. Giving up on trying to optimally arrange the fur pile Q shivered into his fur and went to the entrance of the den, pausing to sit and then lie in the snow.

The heat was as he remembered, and soon the omega was rolling in the snow for a reprieve before just sticking his nose in it. The last didn’t really help, but he wasn’t feeling comfortable anyway so it made little difference.

The itching up the base of his spine, and Blanca everywhere from his belly to thighs was just on fire.

Lifting his nose from the snow Q howled out long and urgently the call for James, for hurry, for need. The wolf may be nervous, but he didn’t want to be alone. James would soothe him. Or Q could simply cling to him and whine. One thing he was fairly sure of was that James would be more than willing to let Q be close if he needed.

Alec’s answering howl replied that James was on his way, and Q lay down and panted his way through the increasing tension and thrumming, whimpering. Last time it had taken days to get to this stage, now it was only hours and Q didn’t know what to do with himself.

Eventually he wanted to be in his skin, which meant going inside, which meant an undignified belly-crawl on his nearly healed stomach to get in before shifting. The fur pile looked amazing and Q sunk onto it shifting minutely and clawing his hands through the thick fur.

After a while, Q gave up even that pretence of normalcy.

“Fuck it.” Q mumbled and got onto all fours, shaking himself, only to feel renewed leaking of slick dribbling out of him and down to the furs bellow. Letting out a shaky breath at the sight, the knowledge that this was for James, that his body was preparing itself for his alpha, left him keening.

Dropping back to the furs Q writhed to get out of the wet patch, then rutted helplessly for a while as his cock came into contact with _anything_. Copious amounts of slick were now making his thighs slip against each other wetly. With a low, desperate whine and shiver up his spine, Q spread his legs, panted, and waited impatiently for James.

His body knows the alpha is back before his mind does. Scent filling his senses and causing Q to willingly shift on the bed into a posture that leaves little to the imagination, knees under him and spread, left open to the air and humming at something.

The something turns out to be James’ low curse and hand sliding up Q’s spine. The friction and realisation of his mate’s presence is enough to make Q gasp and squirm upwards into the hand.

“Shh, easy gorgeous, you’re not ready yet.” Q whimpers and opens his eyes, meeting James’ gaze and curling a hand around the alpha’s nearest thigh where he knelt. The skin beneath his hands felt perfect.

“I _am_.” Q retorted, feeling that his body was nothing _but_ ready at the moment. James’s eyes darkened at his voice, chuckling, settling down so that Q’s hand was trapped between the muscle of thigh and calf deliciously.

“I said you weren’t ready yet, not that you wouldn’t be, and not that I wouldn’t touch you where you need it.” The calm and thrilled confidence left Q shuddering because how could the alpha be composed whilst Q was leaking and trembling to the touch, back arched up into James’ caressing hand like it was necessary for life. “And I _will_ , touch you Q. Now, where do you need it?”

A whine of frustration bit at Q’s throat and a sharp “Where do you bloody think?” Had snapped out of him at the thought of James’ nonchalance.

The alpha’s face contracted with worry and in a disorientating rumble of movements the omega found himself wrapped in arms and pressed tight against the man’s chest. His own legs tangled with the other’s helplessly and he rocked against James’ stomach, feeling the older man’s evident hardness pressing back against him. The show of James’ arousal soothed Q’s aggravations somewhat as the man spoke.

“No Q, no its not about teasing you-“

“Good because I don’t want-“

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry and that’s not what I meant.” James soothed Q’s biting tone, running a hand through the omega’s hair firmly. Q got the sense that James had something that needed saying on his mind and tried not to get too distracted with the man’s muscled chest pressed against his face. It was hard but he could just about remain attached to reality, although really the whole situation was cruel because he was squirming and leaking ever more with their closeness.

“It’s about consent-”

“I’m in _your_ den James.” Q pointed out, voice whining a little as he found a particularly good angle to rub himself against and got lost for a minute. Sanity only returned when the alpha rolled them and pinned Q’s jerking hips to the fur with one hand, the other remaining in Q’s hair. The space between them was agony.

“And its about control, you can have control here, now. You might not be able to articulate it later. And _Lobo_ though I want to fuck you you’ll be wanting little else later. Maybe right now there’s something else you want first?”

The words took a moment to settle before Q’s mind could latch onto them. Yes, even though neither of them would be entirely in control when his heat truly hit, it certainly wouldn’t be him taking the lead in anything other than demands… Experience Q could only too well remember suggested that he wouldn’t care where or how they mated as long as the alpha’s cock was in him.

“Rest assured that when the time comes I’ll be the last person to say no, quite the opposite. But for now do you want anything else?” Q took a breath, risked loosing himself by pushing the alpha’s chest away and opened his eyes.

“Water? First?” So he could think, breathe. Quite frankly most of Q was far too close to true heat to care about anything other than getting down to business. But the rest of him was not only surprised and a bit shyly pleased by the suggestion, but also saw that this was important for James.

A cup was handed to him and Q drank, breathed and tried to calm himself minutely, but found doing so completely impossible. He didn’t even know what he could suggest and the thought of them doing anything else left his hole throbbing and pulsating need that was so strong it couldn’t be ignored. With his eyes shut again against the sight of James’ odd hovering Q set the cup aside and spoke in a tense rush.

“While I appreciate what you’re saying and the offer and I _understand_ , I do, and I agree and yes but I just can’t think with everything throbbing so can you please just touch me _there_ , at least, while I think?” Daring to open his eyes Q saw James not disappointed but overcome with delighted relief.

“It would be my pleasure.” Q was about to snap to get on with it then and expected James’ cock to rub against him but felt instead a single finger pushing into him and arched his back in pleasure at even that.

He’d forgotten, half delirious as he had been, that James had opened him up like this the first time. The difference being now that he was looser and slick already. James leant over him and stroked Q inside and the omega wriggled.

“More, James,” Another digit toyed with his entrance before the omega could even continue talking and pressed up inside him with just enough presence to give him something to think about, clenching around them as if sucking on the fingers with his mouth as James thrust them firmly. Q’s moan of relief had the alpha swearing again.

“Do you know what you do to me? Blanca, Q. Any better?”

“Uhn, yes, yes,” He panted for a moment, rocking, before trying to focus on the whole man and not just his fingers inside Q’s leaking arse. James’ face was nearly as distracting however, when his lust-blown blues swung up to Q’s eyes.

And no matter what the man said about control, Q felt pinned and willingly submissive to the man’s evident contentment and control, assertiveness. There was even a slight smirk on the man’s almost calm face that left Q shivering.

“If only you could see how you looked right now…” whatever descriptive terms were going to be used seemed to get lost in possession, fingers crooking inside Q enough to make him yelp with pleasure. “Is this good for you? Tell me what you want.”

And Blanca dammit _now_ Q could see the appeal, practically _taste_ the appeal as it clamoured through his body and claimed every muscle and thought for itself. Here he had this stunning, dominant, possessive and unflappable alpha above him… and he was _Q’s_ to command. To have James do whatever he told him, the thought was intoxicating. Breathing hard, Q reached up to tentatively hold James’ cheek.

“Kiss me?” Instead of words he got more response than imaginable. The alpha descended without hesitation on Q’s lips and immediately tongued them apart to take claim of his mouth greedily. The younger wolf moaned and clung on in pleasure, legs propping up around James to accommodate the man as they kissed.

The need to come up for air was entertained by James for the shortest of periods before he captured Q’s mouth again, repeatedly, until his head was spinning in the dual pleasure of his body and delight in James’ enthusiasm. The alpha let Q breathe but didn’t request a new order, simply adapting the first one by laying kisses over his mate’s face.

“M-my neck, kiss me there.” Q instructed, because he _could_ and James _did_ and with a simple gasped request of “Fuck, bite me.” The alpha did that too and Q writhed and begged ‘harder’ until he had to whine and push James off, the pleasure beginning to edge into that deliciously tantalising but trepidatious world between ecstasy and agony.

“Oh, oh fuck.” Q panted, gasped, still rocking onto James’ working fingers and body tingling and trembling. But not on the edge of frustrated heat at all, rather languishing in the attention. James, thankfully, was out of breath and panting too.

“Good? Is it?” Q laughed at the alpha’s smug grin yet need for affirment.

“Blanca yes. Lobo, oh good Blanca don’t stop.” Q panted, and James leant down to nuzzle him firmly, voice going low and half-chocked with arousal as more slick wetted all the way down the alpha’s hand.

“Let me, let me,” Q pushed at the man’s weight and got him willingly onto his back. “Let me touch you, just don’t stop what you’re doing.”

“Noted.” Q groaned at the militant dedication and latched his mouth onto James’ for a breathed moment before pushing up and looking at the expanse of carved muscle beneath him, James’ fingers still working in him obscenely as he knelt there, dripping onto the body below. James appeared to be trembling now too, thighs jumping whenever Q’s slick reached them and cock standing thick and to attention.

Murmuring a voiceless curse Q gave in to the temptation that had been building for weeks of just indulging in touch like they did as wolves.

James’ skin was smooth save for where it was whitened by scars and more recent wounds. Q bent at first to sniff deeply beneath the alpha’s chin at the juncture of neck, licking and biting there for a minute before moving down. His hands unashamedly found the alpha’s chest and arms, squeezing and massaging before his lips could nuzzle there in aftermath. The heavy hand on his hair and James’ curse when Q bit and suckled at a nipple were encouragement enough even without the hitching breath and fingers getting more demanding within him. The stretch of spreading digits combined with James’ taste and the feel of skin became a heady mix of satisfaction and need within him.

“Lobo Q, you’re going to break me like this.” James pleaded, pulling Q’s hair in a jerked reaction. Licking a soothing response over the nub, and squeezing the other for comparison, the omega tongued down, hands loosing precedence to his mouth other than gripping tightly at the flesh he found. Progress was stopped by the fingers inside him crooking, to catch him like a hook, the pull inadvertently causing more slick to gush free.

“Wait, wait, I’m about to loose you.” James halted, and his spare hand had left Q’s hair and was scooping beneath him as the alpha sat before Q realised he was being turned. The movement left him lying on top of James and face to face with the man’s weeping cock as breath reached between his cheeks.

A shudder went up Q’s spine, duplicated again by the next words from his alpha’s mouth.

“May I?” Q wasn’t even entirely sure what the question meant, but the answer was an emphatic ‘ _Yes_ ’.

Before he had time to truly think James’ tongue was licking at him and then pressing up inside and Q bucked and jerked with a whine at the intense feeling, large hands steadying his confused attempt to get closer and away at once.

“Easy, Q, just relax.” The words rumbled against his most sensitive of places and even though the tongue pressing into him wasn’t as large as the fingers had been the flexibility and knowledge that James was licking him out rendered Q’s mind and body a helpless, writhing mess. Thumbs were pulling apart his arse cheeks to get James in deeper and as the man licked teasingly into him Q’s legs shook.

Panting, whimpering, desperate for more yet hypnotised Q’s eyes lit on the growing red arousal before him. And he wanted to taste. As if driven by the tongue in him Q licked out a couple of times before catching the salty essence of James and moaning, licking harder. James’ whole body jerked as Q tongued hard across the slight slit in the top and lapped up the fluid there, more being rewarded to him as James groaned and licked back at Q’s entrance.

The renewed attention drove Q on; mindlessly chasing the taste and risking placing a sucking kiss to the tip. James barked a shout of surprise and Q did it again just to hear it twice. The alpha retaliated with plunging his tongue into Q’s clenching hole and the omega mewled and automatically opened his mouth to take in the velvet hardness before him and suck. James bucked into him again and fucked him with his tongue as if he knew that would make Q suck harder, lips wet with spit and some trickling down his chin as he tried to take in as much of the thrusting length as he could. His own hips were being held steady and Q whined as he suckled and gulped around James, the alpha licking harder over his swollen mess of an entrance encouragingly.

The taste and heavy heat in his mouth became Q’s undoing until fingers replaced James’ tongue in him and pushed in deep, hard, a third skirting round his entrance and pushing in. The new stretch left him choking and gasping but unwilling to let go of the alpha’s cock and the messy job he was doing. He wanted, _needed_ more and couldn’t stop.

“Lobo, Q, keep going, I’ll give you what you need.” The three fingers in him felt different. _He_ felt different inside, soft and receptive in a way that didn’t make sense, just needed more, needed James in him, but he couldn’t give up the heady taste. Instead, moaning, Q suckled harder as if to drink down the increasing spend he was coaxing from James, and clenched around the three thrusting and spreading fingers, sucking from both ends.

James groaned and jerked and slick ran down Q’s heated, quivering thighs as the press of James’ little finger toyed with entering, _did_ and Q’s entire body arched and he sunk down on James’ cock further, holding there, shuddering.

“They say,” The alpha’s voice was little better than a growl, deep and visceral and destroyed. “That an alpha’s knot is about the size of his fist,” Q’s body bent and broke and whined around the sudden known-comfort of James’ steadily thrusting penis as the alpha’s fingers shifted and _pressed_ and the feel of knuckles was pushing against his hopelessly wet and loosened entrance.

“I’d like to test that theory.” Q chocked and came off James’s cock to gasp and whine as he needed to, arse in the air and body shaking at the expanse being pushed into him. It _burned_ yet he wanted yet didn’t yet _needed_ that filthy suggestion of James’ fist being inside him, face plastered to the inside of the alpha’s thigh where the scent of arousal was thick and drowning. 

“Good, Q, you’re doing so good,” there was another hand stroking his back and at the widest point Q yelped but then James was in. The thinning of the alpha’s hand-wrist almost sucked in and held there as Q all but collapsed, body shuddering and jerking helplessly around the stretch, dribbling more slick to make it easier, barely gasping for air. 

“Damn, Q, you stunning thing. Fucking _wearing_ you.” Q mewled long and loud as James’ hand fluctuated inside him and _stroked_ like petting him and it was too much, not enough until the man found that ridiculously wonderful spot that sent everything glowing and sparking and Q was jerking helplessly, flank being soothed by James’ free hand. 

“Come on Q, just a bit more, you’re doing so good.” Body anticipating sperm, it wasn’t fully prepared for a knot, he wasn’t even in full heat yet. James’ hand in him was solid and unforgiving and at one point when the alpha repositioned him the hand inside casually shifted to _help_ lift him and Q wailed and burst into the most surprising orgasm of his life when James fisted within him suddenly after the movement. 

Time skipped out and the moment just seemed to carry on, Q clenching around the solid pressure inside him and milking his own orgasm as James just pushed and pulled with his fist ever so slightly. There was a loud groan from the alpha too and Q felt a thick heat pressed to his gasping mouth; the head of James’ cock. 

Thoughtlessly he took it in and sucked desperately on impulse, James’ hand encouraging in his hair and cursing softly until he came with a shout, Q held close and caught in his grasp, entirely unable to move away from either end as hot spurts of his mate’s spend filled his mouth and throat, the man’s hand now urgently stroking inside and fisting into sensitive spots _deeper_ until Q was undone again. 

The comedown from his blackout high took minutes and Q had swallowed what he could but found a lot of smeared come on his mouth and face, throat. His arse throbbed and fluttered around the presence of two soothing fingers playing through his slick. Everything felt wet and sweaty and heavy boned as it occurred to him that he’d been turned around and was lying on James’ chest, face pressed into his neck. 

“You’re unbelievable Q, are you alright?” 

“Nmmmnuhmmg…” James chuckled with something like satisfied wonder and slowly removed his fingers to place a cool, wetted cloth against his entrance. Q shuddered at the feeling and clenched at the absence of fingers, trying to draw more in as James’ pressed testingly into him a fraction with the material. Q whined and wriggled and groaned a sob as the touch vanished to wipe his thighs down instead. 

“You’ll be ready in two hours.” Q moaned and gasped in pleasure when James bent to bite deeply into his throat, legs spreading even though he felt it should be impossible to want more after what they’d just done. Fingers stroked and a hand pressed over his entrance firmly, keeping it _closed_ rather than open as Q wanted it. 

“What’re you,” Q trailed off as James pressed the pressure of his hand further over Q’s hole, earning a pulse of eager slick. 

“Shh, I’m just tightening you up a bit before we go again.” His hand began rubbing small circular motions that quite sent Q into mewling nirvana. “I know how you like to be opened up.” The omega bit the neck beneath him as he flushed, yet grinned, pinching James’ nipple once more in retaliation, pleased when the man gasped. 

“Until then, what do you want me to do for you?” The smug, teasing smile in James’ voice made Q laugh breathily, the man’s casual massage of his rump continuing. 

At this rate, Q wasn’t sure he was going to make it _to_ heat, let alone live through it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise smut!! Mwahaha, ahem, anyway, hope you all enjoy the belated enthusiastic consent!  
> All replies to comments are to shortly follow and thank you for the encouragement and enjoyment you've all been showering over the comments and kudos! :3 (...I ate them, and it was good.)
> 
> See you all next time for, well, um, more of the same? xD  
> Till then mateys! Yarrgh!


	5. Share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day late again but things have been a whirlwind!  
> Okay, without further ado enjoy the continuation of heat!

[](http://imgur.com/VzWebTA)

 

\---

 

James may have been the one to suggest Q having his way, and had happily controlled himself to comply with his mate’s requests for water-cool-hold me in the inconsolable minutes before heat truly struck… But he was certainly done holding them both back by the time it arrived.

Beside him Q went form moaning and squirming to keening and fighting to get up onto all fours and that _scent_ hit him hard. Full heat, true heat, Bond didn’t care for the semantics as he grabbed only half gently for Q, knowing that the man was his this time and calling for him alone. Q’s arms came up to claw disorientatedly on his back, whining, as the alpha took bare moments to get his hand under Q’s hip, their legs a hopeless tangle and the angle awkward but with a guided thrust he sunk in.

What had felt like pure temptation on his hand was glorious around his cock. Despite the attention earlier Q seemed to have almost thickened inside as James slid all the way in, squeezed and cushioned and surrounded by wet heat.

Q babbled incoherently as his fingernails scratched James’ shoulders and the man rutted in a bruising pace from the go. Later Q might need more careful handling but Lobo for now he needed it fast and rough.

“Ja-James, James,” Q chanted, panted, chocked. Overwhelmed by Q’s scent and the clenching heat of him, the tight fit that seemed to _increase_ rather than loosen James was beside himself. Barely able to control his thrusting hips and growls the alpha sought Q’s neck to bite, earning a cry, and gripped Q’s hip and shoulder hard enough to bruise. Lifting them till the alpha was on his knees for leverage, Q caught beneath him with his legs kicking out, upper body pinned.

The drive to just pound into his mate was too strong to ignore and Bond didn’t even try, chasing the heat and ecstasy as his body tightened and Q’s began squirming. The initial knot seemed to cause a war within the omega of fight-flight-submission. And they could both feel it swell now, catching at Q’s rim and sending the omega into mewling wails as James bit harder at his neck in the closest thing to aggression that he’d ever shown, Q hissed and tugged to get his hips away but too late as the alpha thrust and grabbed him close, holding, forcing the swell of knot in and locking them together as he released into Q.

With another few bucks and kicks Q contracted around James with a great gasp and they held fast in their respective highs.

Whatever rational part of his brain was left told him he should lick Q’s bared neck better, kiss him, soothe him… But all he could feel was the pulse of Q around him, seeming to thicken and soften at once whilst filled by his alpha, and James realised what was so different and hard to ignore.

Q was _receptive_ , fertile, ready to be bred and filled and James crashed back to the furs with a helpless groan of longing and rutted even whilst inside Q. The omega was pinned and knot-pliant and purring beneath him whilst the alpha’s mind revolved around that one simple fact that hadn’t even seemed to matter without the insanity of heat; that Q was ready to be pupped.

Unlike their first heat, where the alpha had indulged in a second round and worshipped his mate’s body before getting around to feeding and watering the pair of them, James was thrown completely out of his mind by his own alpha need to rut and mate and breed.

He’d never experienced it before, and it was frankly exhilarating and terrifying at once. The remained knotted for long enough though neither of them slept, Bond still thrusting and growling and biting, Q grinding against the relentless pressure and clinging on. The instant they did untie James flipped Q before the omega could beg for more and lifted him to his knees to inspect the ripe entrance.

“Good, Q, keeping it all in.” the omega whined in needy confusion and James thrust in again without preamble, knocking Q’s legs off centre and into the position his mind told him was right. Q scrabbled and pushed back and keened and this time all but threw himself back onto the alpha’s knot without letting it be teased in and out of him.

Once again biting Q’s now bruised and soon a bit bloody neck James arched the omega’s back into an obscene dip until he was satisfied, pumping into the smaller body and running a hand to Q’s belly. The omega whimpered a bit and shifted at the press against his nearly healed wounds but quieted when shushed.

James had to curse his brain.

The thought that Q could already be pregnant sent him thrusting and moaning again, knot almost viciously tugging at the clench around it and Q arching his back wantonly.

The fact that Q _could_ move freely this time was just about the only soothing thought amidst the arousal coursing through him.

Fucking Q through their knotting and not ceasing between their next goes either, not leaving the breeding position, and taking Q twice in their wolf forms too- harder and faster and howling out his success- James finally came to from his rut-induced delirium far too long later. They had to have been at it for a day and beneath him Q was trembling, held up more by James than his own weak limbs as they slowly untied.

Pulling out semi-reluctantly James steadied Q’s gasping wobbles and whine for more, unable to stop himself from pushing the omega’s chest down and raising his hips till knees left the floor for a proper inspection.

Q was slathered in sweat and slick but somehow not leaking any of the alpha’s considerable spend. The sight of the clenching red swell of Q’s wet, hungry hole sent him groaning again as he set the omega carefully down.

“Still not full Q? Lobo,” He piled a fur under the omega’s hips to keep him raised and soothed a hand down the twisting, questioning spine as the younger wolf rumbled a query at him. “Just helping keep you that way, gorgeous, shh, easy.” Even whilst the necessity of their survival allowed James periods of lucidity, Q was already whining and trying to present again even with his eyelids slipping shut. It had been too long without food or water, especially for getting Q pregnant… if he wasn’t already.

“Damn it.” James whispered, forcing his libido down even as his hand reached to cup Q’s flat stomach. Did he feel fuller? Surely not. Shaking the thought away, and satisfied that Q couldn’t move much to dislodge himself on the mound of fur and loose James’ seed, the alpha grabbed for their previously melted water, taking another pan to set more snow from outside to melt and start a small fire at the gale he had to briefly endure.

The cold helped clear his head some and the alpha slipped back in next to Q and forced himself to let his mate off the mound in order to properly feed him and give him a drink.

The instant they touched Q was pulling him closer, James chuckling until he forgot, foolishly, that Q was much recovered from the last time they’d done this and managed to flip him over and squirm down. Before James could stop him the omega had unerringly managed to impale himself upon the alpha’s cock and moaned in relief.

“Bugger-“ James chocked out.

Q’s eyes were lust-blown and glassy as he moaned and wriggled on the readily hardening length within him, hands on the alpha’s chest fisting and spreading. With a bite of lips and soft cry Q set himself bouncing on the alpha’s cock and James cursed, spilling the water in favour of grabbing Q’s hips to steady himself, mesmerised by the bliss on his mate’s face.

“Blanca you feel good James, _fuck_ fill me, come on.” James lost all ability to talk and even function, watching Q fuck himself wantonly. Hearing that articulate –and previously innocent sounding- voice drop to the level of lust was beyond irresistible. Q clenched around him, wet and sloppy from this angle, but all but milking James even without the constant pull of his voice.

“Come on, please, fuck, James need you-“ Q’s words turned into a groan as he bent backwards, gripping James knees and throwing himself up and down from such a Blanca-forbidden angle that James charged up into him in a way that sent the omega’s head back and crying, tightening almost painfully around James until hands on hips dragged them together and gave Q what he needed, sealing him up and keeping it all in.

Q went boneless with a moan and collapsed backwards against the support of James’ raised knees, hips bucking in abortive, tied movements and a small amount of spend spurting onto both their stomachs.

Dual euphoria soared in James as he watched Q’s both blatant enthusiasm and relished the untarnished nature of this heat. There was no threat of other alphas, no worry that Q wasn’t aware of what was going on or would awake terrified and abused. Here the younger wolf was _smiling_ , blissed out and humming contented noises as he was filled and knotted.

James reached up to stroke through the slightly sticky come on his stomach and up to Q’s racing heart, feeling it pound healthily beneath his palm. One of the omega’s hands rose to rest over his, and amusingly enough a foot reached up to press over James’ own heart. The stretch sent Q sliding deeper onto him and shuddering, gasping in pleasure again, a little slick escaping even around James’ knot to ghost over tightened balls.

He would get them both something to drink and eat, as soon as he was done savouring the image forever.

-00Q00-

Q wasn’t quite sure which way was up anymore, instead simply aligning himself with James’ body rather than make such a complex decision.

“No, Q, drink first.” Q groaned but accepted the water. Soon enough gulping it down when he realised how good it felt easing his throat and clearing his head somewhat. James’ pleased appearance at the omega’s drinking however had him toppling over the barely-caught cup and sliding back over his mate.

“Q, wait, you haven’t-oh damn.” Q’s voice left him in a pleased mewl when he was rolled onto his stomach and felt James breach him again, one arm snug around his waist.

“Good, good, good,” He panted encouragingly, squirming to get a better angle and half relish James’ tight hold on him nearly preventing it.

“Going to, be the, death of me-“ the alpha’s next words were drowned in the man’s voice breaking into a loud moan of pleasure. Q budged back as he felt that familiar swell within pressing everywhere and clamped around it.

Being knotted was rather peaceful, Q decided, smiling vaguely in the ongoing afterglow and relishing the feeling of being filled again. He could also, this heat, comprehend a bit more of the world around him.

“Wha’s the time?” James, hot head resting between Q’s shoulder blades as the man panted, took a moment to respond.

“Evening, day two… Q,” The alpha seemed to only then realise his mate’s more coherent words and grabbed for him firmer. Q turned his head around with some difficulty and offered a smile, still a bit knot-drugged.

“Hello,” James kissed him at the gentle trill in his voice and proceeded to nuzzle firmly for a few minutes.

“Are you alright?”

“Perfect.” Q stretched to illustrate and drifted for a bit in pleasure when the positions shifted the pressure inside him.

“Can you manage some food? Here,” With some difficulty the alpha rolled them over, still joined, and sat up against their pile of furs, pulling some rich meat over to them.

Food didn’t really entice Q, but there was little he could do at this point other than eat it, and drink the following water, and eat a bit more. Everything seemed to settle in him a bit funny and he leant back into James’ neck to steady himself. The knot inside him was starting to ebb a little quicker than previously and heat was creeping back up his spine, leaving him restless and wanting already.

“You need to sleep, gorgeous,” James tried, voice a touch strained as he kissed Q’s temple.

“Can’t sleep, need you, now, more,” whatever intelligence was left turned into a whine and frustrated sob, tossing when he clearly couldn’t get more.

“Shh, shh,” A cool cloth graced his skin and Q followed that and that alone for a while, hoping to forget biology’s demands for a while and shaking a bit when he couldn’t.

“You’re doing good, you’re doing really good, Q. Just stay here with me, gorgeous thing, try to relax.” James was falling asleep behind him, and it frustrated Q no end but he couldn’t blame the man. Trying to breathe away his racing blood the omega took a few deep breaths and tried to follow suit.

It didn’t really work, and now he was stuck, awake, with James sleeping. And quite literally stuck too, though becoming less so gradually. Whining, and squirming, Q tried to focus on anything else, the howling gale outside or his slightly cool toes…

Nothing worked for long, so Q had to settle for turning further into James and inhaling his alpha’s scent. Gradually, the exhaustion caught up with him enough to sleep.

-00Q00-

Really, he should have been more careful than to fall asleep before Q did. Heat seemed a lot simpler when they shared naps. However, there was something to be said for waking up to Q grinding against him, too out of his mind to be coordinated and bucking helplessly as they rubbed together. One of the omega’s hands was stretched back to tease fingers into himself.

The sight left James’ mouth dry and with a growl the pair were tipped and the alpha’s own fingers were pushing into his mate’s increasingly wet and swollen entrance.

“James please, need, now…” the rest was lost into a fevered whine as James replaced fingers with his cock and bit into Q’s neck, quickly licking instead when whine turned to a whimper of pain.

_Third day, getting tired_. James thought, briefly, before Q reached to grab James’ arse –one hand still wet with his own slick- and tugged them impossibly close. Impossibly deep. James swore and could do little else but clutch onto Q and gasp in some strange reverse of circumstances as the omega rolled his hips and controlled their pace.

In fact, Bond barely felt able to move at all, half smothering Q as he was, there was some strange specific tightness around the head of his cock and Q was arched beneath him and gasping too, fingers clawed into the flesh of James’ buttocks and hips juttering.

“Fuck, fuck,” Q’s mewl spilled over as he jerked in orgasm, tightening so pullingly around James that he barked helplessly and clutched Q’s soft sides, driving into him what little he could as knot swelled.

Both of them remained tight limbed and caught in near-silent throws of pleasure for a long time until James felt himself relaxing, returning, Q going limp and shivery beneath him. The occasional spasm from the omega stroked at him forcefully, sending the man chasing delirium again into that impossibly tight space.

Rendered speechless, James wordlessly ran his hand over Q’s belly, imagining he could feel the weight of himself inside the slender body… pumping it full.

With a groan, the alpha gathered Q into a bundle of limbs and curled around him, humping occasionally. Q remained lax and consumed, and, quite possibly, being bred.

“Impossible, tell me it is,” Nonsensical muttering was about all James was capable of, because there was no possibility that their sex would feel different if Q was actually conceiving. Surely this was just because of the constraints restricting their first heat.

And Lobo, wasn’t that a thought, if it continued to get better like this each time…

Glad for a moment that Q was out of it enough to miss his un-alpha-like moan of longing, James continued palming Q’s belly and untangled them enough to suck at a nipple, relishing the further mewls of pleasure being wrung from the younger man and bucking at the ensuing clench around them.

Once again the alpha told himself that after this he would get proper nourishment down the both of them… Until then, being with Q was far too much fun.

-00Q00-

Q woke up panting, full, maybe he’d always been awake or no but James was in him and thrusting and other than a confused attempt to desperately catch up in rhythm Q couldn’t care less. James’ hands held his hips tight as the man pulled out and rolled the omega over. Before Q could organise his legs they were grabbed and held back under his knees, pushed towards his chest until he was exposed and leaking, clenching, wriggling at the blue eyed gaze.

“Perfect, Q, getting loose now.” A finger traced his ready hole and Q growled a bit in impatience, trying to bear down. “I know, I know,” but instead of fill him again James’ hand helped to wipe away some of the pooling slick first, bending Q’s body yet further before thrusting in.

Without leverage, Q could only cling to James’ shoulders and hang on, burn in his legs and held open for James, who was just starting to swell already but too fast for Q who needed more. Until a hand left his leg to dangle and two fingers disappeared inside him, rubbing at his prostate and then pressing with the alpha’s knot building behind them until Q was nearly screaming as he came, jerking at the relentless stimulation and nearly chocking breaths.

It was too much, he couldn’t even contract completely around James’ intrusion, his own slick and James’ spend spurting out in time with the alpha’s come filling him.

“Blanca, damn, look at you.” James growled, somehow spreading his fingers wider and causing Q’s whole being to arch into a near blackout, remaining taught as supposedly soothing fingers whispered against the walls surrounding them. Remaining fingers were toying with his entrance and threatening penetration, one fingertip managing and Q cried out again with another, dry, orgasm.

Flinging his hands desperately at James to stop before he exploded, or carry on, Q wasn’t sure, he panted and whined.

“Shh, doing so good Q, come on, you can take just a bit more, I know, I know, trust me.” But the presence of those other fingers sent Q tipping off over somewhere else and gasping harsh cries as he was massaged and filled, no longer leaking, clenching as hard as muscles could to draw everything further in. There was some tightness, heaviness, from the angle, from James’ own enthusiastic response to the almost ridiculous arch of Q’s back till his hips were upright, that didn’t cause the peaks of orgasm but a levelling of that at a plateau, satisfaction, clenching around James and grunting minutely at every spurt or movement of their bodies rocking together.

It seemed a long, shuddering time before James started to slip out, gently lowering Q back but almost hurriedly gathering the rest of his fingers to fist within the trembling omega, keeping him plugged. Q uttered a hum of appeasement, continuing to occasionally clench, comforted somehow, around the intrusion.

“There now, you keep milking Q, here, let me,” James weak pants were paused with the man shifting them and their nest till they could both lean upon a curved mound of furs, supported. Q shuddered at the knowledge that he was also sitting on James’ lap with the man’s hand still inside him, not moving, merely present. It was delicious enough that he had to lick at the man’s neck when James went to nuzzle his own.

“Drink, Q, come on.” He was coaxed awkwardly into gulping down some warm, stock-like soup. He wondered briefly how long James had been trying to arrange this for, if he could manage heating up the stew, but had little energy or thought for much else. Everything in him seemed to be focused on, as James said, milking the hand within him, and the heavy tightening of his stomach.

Even the sloppy gulps he was managing seemed like hard work, and Q whined when he found a lump of meat in the cup that James swiftly chewed for him. Sharing mouthfuls was easier, and Q rested his hot-but-cold head on James’ shoulder and mouthed at muscles under sweat-clad skin between sups and tid bits.

“More?” James asked, hopefully, a couple of minutes later as their bowl emptied.

“More,” It came out a shivered whine as his body stretched for a bear moment before slumping, feeling impossibly heavy and protected as James kissed his fluttering eyelids and damp cheeks gently. Offering more of the easy and tasty food with his hand satisfying the omega’s cravings, James managed to whisper and lull him into submitting to the sleep his body craved. Satiated and full if tired out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This could also be termed the chapter 'James manages to feed them nothing' xD Bless the poor man he tried!  
> There's also some GREAT news... I'm on holiday at the end of this week!! *dances around in circle* 'Sweet Blanca YES!'  
> Ahem. Sorry. Can you tell I need one? ';D
> 
> But! This means updates should be on time and I've got lots of writing time woo!  
> So until next time hope you enjoyed and thank you so so much for the comments and kudos and readings you're giving this story, you're all magnificent and deserve Many Hugs of an appropriate and pleasing nature :3  
> Ciao for now!


	6. Luxuriate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So updates seem to be on Mondays now! Thus giving me a week between updates.  
> Good news is my holiday is lovely and thank you for the well-wishes, and I've been on a writing bananza so far!  
> So, please enjoy :D

[](http://imgur.com/bpaJxkX)

 

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By the end of their fourth day of heat, James had experienced a second urge of rut come over him and Q was mostly limp and becoming unhappy and sore. The ending wasn’t quite as unbearable as their first time, James had discovered that whilst full knotting would cause Q to cry frustrated tears of sore-yet-needing, using his mouth or gentle fingers would tease and soothe out the remainder of want. Often James found Q’s tongue and mouth on his own cock in reciprocation, much like how they’d started.

But James was getting sore himself, and sometimes Q demanded, tearfully, that he be knotted.

“More, James, _no_!” Q slapped the soothing fingers away from between his legs and grabbed the alpha’s thighs with both hands, trying to push himself up, eyes fluttering. “You, need you in me, _need_ ,” The words tapered into a keen as Q bent over and panted, a wave of heat gripping him and James was growling possessively at the sharp edge of desperation to the scent.

Without preamble Q was flipped onto shoulders and knees and James pressed home. The position was easier for Q but still the hot slick around him felt drier. But spongy.

As James thrust, and then moved to sit on his haunches, gently bouncing Q, the alpha brought one hand to the softness of Q’s belly. Either some much needed nutrition has gone into the still-flat stomach, or…

“Mmnn Lobo, Q.” the thought that gripped his mind of Q being pregnant was still too consuming for his nature to ignore. His head ducked to bite grounding marks onto Q’s throat, the omega’s head ducked forwards but one arm bent to cling round the alpha’s neck. With his free hand, James grabbed a cloth from the luke-warm bowl of water he’d put nearby, and reached to gently soothe between Q’s legs where they were joined; James sliding in and out slowly still.

“Shh, easy, its okay, you’re doing good, gorgeous.” James calmed, getting the pressure right to massage away any pain until they knotted. Helping stroke off Q with the same cloth as he filled Q up again, James’ heart clenched when his omega uttered his name in gasped ecstasy.

Full, and pupped, and filling yet more; James could only hope. Irrevocably owned, and unconditionally loved; James knew for a fact.

-00Q00-

The gentle press and massage of damp cloth against his sore, swollen opening was barely managing to keep Q awake at this point, but he was feeling more lucid if exhausted and weakened, and he wanted to keep playing with the hand of James’ that his fingers had managed to capture.

Lying mostly upon his mate’s body, slightly upright and a few blinks from sleep, Q was just absorbing all the closeness he could. James ran a series of kisses over Q’s hair and the exposed side of his face, and mumbled affection and possibly something deeper.

Q, zoned out as he was, managed only to make small noises of agreement and delight, pressing his own endless kisses onto any skin he could reach and clinging to James’ fingers.

He couldn’t get enough of the man, and certainly not like this, with them both calm from the high of heat and wrapped up close together.

If any of him had been worried about their second heat, it seemed unlikely now. There were no threats, no other alphas.

Q felt just like he’d never have dreamed could happen two months ago; safe, respected, loved. And by Blanca, Lobo and all their many, many pups, Q was completely and utterly, smittenly in love with his alpha, his ridiculously wonderful James.

-00Q00-

Recovering from heat was not the drag Q had expected it to be. Although he was sore and knackered and constantly requiring small meals and drinks, being in their own den seemed to make the whole thing worthwhile.

James bathed him as luxuriously as he could that first morning. A howl had been sent up through the winds of an offering left nearby for them.

“I don’t need to leave, even if it is tradition.” James muttered, resentful of the mere thought and apparently content massaging Q’s nearest foot with one hand, the other tending to their small cooking fire. The alpha had announced that they were going to have stew, something wholesome to bring back their strength.

Q, wrapped in a gorgeously soft fur and feeling utterly relaxed, if drained, now that his heat was over, slowly moved over and shifted into fur. Resting his head on James’ lap, the omega sniffed and then tried to lick hopefully at the meat waiting to be cooked.

“No not yet, it’ll take a while, I’m sorry.” The omega’s responding huff was all dramatics and easily read as so, if James’ smirk was anything to go by. The older man set down the stick that was turning the fire and sunk a warm hand into Q’s fur on his head. “Gorgeous soft thing.” Q’s heart stuttered a bit at the tone and he pushed himself further onto James, body lolling over the man’s lap and tail thumping.

“I don’t need to leave this.” James reiterated, and Q yawned widely before managing to focus a bit more, turning back into his skin and draping himself and his blanket into the other man’s arms.

“Isn’t it important? The first gifts after a pack heat? I’m sure Mycroft mentioned that. Sometime.” James grumbled a bit, one arm curled around Q as the other set up a pot of water on the fire.

“Yes. Its tradition for us. The first gift is meant to be practical and luxurious at once for a mated pair, something to help bond them further. Not that we need it.” The last words were added into Q’s hair with a kiss, and the omega took a deep breath at them. It was the first either of them had really alluded to how they felt about their bond. At least in words.

“No, we don’t, I don’t, but won’t the pack be anxious if their gifts aren’t received?” James’ hands turned tight on Q, his next words a growl.

“You want me to leave?”

“ _No_. No. I just, think that… if it’s important, we should try to do it, if it’s for your, _our_ pack.” Q managed to get out, eyes shut as he enunciated. Truthfully he felt part of no one’s pack except his family and now James, but then he’d always been a bit more of a recluse than others. Given his rather individual nature, no one had ever blamed him, but bonding with anyone other than James seemed frustrating and unnecessary… or maybe just frightening. Still, he _was_ with James and James _did_ have a pack and they were important to him, so Q wanted to try.

James, thankfully, seemed to grasp that Q wasn’t trying to be rid of him or something ridiculous like that.

“You really…” There was a soft exhale, and then no more was said about it other than a ‘thank you’ whispered into the curve of Q’s neck. With instant delight at the gesture Q tipped his head back further, encouraging James’ mouthing and then bite to his neck with a shiver of pleasure. “But I still don’t want to leave you.”

“You said they left the package at the crest of this slope?” Q clarified when he had breath.

“Yes.”

“Then it wont take long to get it. You run, I’ll stay here and chop up for the stew.” The following pause led Q to believe that James wanted to follow tradition more than the alpha let on.

“Are you sure?” Q nodded, managed a smile, a little shy with the intensity of James’ eyes on him.

“I’d like to do something productive for a couple of minutes anyway.” Q admitted.

James pondered for a moment before tugging Q close and into a deep kiss, tongues meeting each other and claiming the omega’s mouth. Next followed Q’s neck, kissed and nuzzled and mouthed until there was a thrumming band of ‘owned’ around him, smothered in James scent.

“I wont be long,” A kiss to his eyelids. “Stay here, please.” With a final kiss and nuzzle the alpha was off out the den like a lightning bolt and Q straightened himself woozily, breathing deeply for a lovely moment before beginning his work on the vegetables and meat contentedly.

-00Q00-

The run, no, charge, down to the traditional Gifting Point was agonising. James’ entire being howled at him to go back to Q the further he set paw out of den. The point wasn’t far however, and was just as James remembered it from his youth.

At the ridge of the slope there was a single, bare sapling bent over in the winds of winter. The curve had been exaggerated by lashing the tip of the small tree to a boulder, creating a curve under which sat a basket of cloth-wrapped goods. James slowed as he approached the sapling, the chiming of the wind-struck bells laced to the thin trunk leading him straight even through the flurries of snow.

It looked content, Bond mused, to be having a purpose once more. Back when matings were commonplace families and close friends of each new couple would leave mating gift here. Now, Bond thought possibly most of the pack had donated treasures. The scents from the basket were strong even in the wind.

Curious, and itching to get back, Bond grabbed the basket by the handle and turned to lug it back up-slope to their den. The weight made the job hard work.

The outcropping of stones protected James from the wind as he turned into their den and gave him a good place to shake off accumulated snow before entering. He didn’t want cold water in their nest. Getting the basket through the tunnel was a minor challenge, but the alpha succeeded, entering to the delicious smell of Q and cooking food.

“That was quick.” Q sat up from where he’d been lounging and stirring the pot languidly and yawned. “What is it?”

“Not sure yet.” James responded, shifting into skin to set the basket near their nest and then cuddle Q. The omega shuddered at the touch of cool skin but curled closer. Mate situated in lap, James pulled things from the basket, Q looking on in curiosity and occasionally reaching for things to sniff. The more they unpacked; the more heat grew within James.

“I know what this is.”

“Hmm? What then?” Q asked, putting down the block of sweet-smelling chalk. James swallowed in anticipation and put down a bunch of herbs to manoeuvre Q.

“Here, lay down, no, on this.” James spread out a roll of moss-weaved bark from the pines and laid Q on it, who frowned and wriggled at the dry-scratchy feeling but didn’t attempt to escape.

“They gave you uncomfortable bedding? I must have made a worse impression than I thought.” Q commented mildly, watching as James smirked and turned to their water-heating fire. The den was large enough to warrant two for warmth anyway.

“Trust me, just breathe deep and relax.”

“…Alright.” The omega accepted the suggestion and lay back with a sigh to relax. James added the herbs, along with some drops of bottled flower oil to a bowl of the hot water and stirred. Gradually the scents began to form heavily in the den, Q breathing deep and loosing tension on the moss roll.

“Now, just stay still, deep breath in.” Q did as bid with a small smile of curiosity and amusement as James moved over. As the omega inhaled the taller man poured the warm bowl over the prone body from head to toe and watched Q’s mesmerised moan and shiver. Skin glistening in the fire and lamplight, Q’s wet body seemed to pinken and come alive with the warmth. Beneath his mate James saw the dry moss absorb the water and swell, softening, coming to cushion and support Q, even lifting him slightly. The alpha breathed stiffly as the younger wolf gasped at the sensations.

“James,”

“Shh, just relax, keep breathing gorgeous.” James rumbled, purred, running a hand up the smooth wet of Q’s flank, watching the pale chest stutter with growing arousal.

Hand sinking into the laid-out items of the basket James set more water on to get back to heat after retrieving a wooden pot. The ground chalk-powder mixed with pepper seeds and hints of lavender. Pooling some of the dusty concoction onto his hands James began with rubbing both up Q’s chest in a long movement that had the omega gasping again. From there he continued pressing the slightly scouring mixture into Q’s skin, rubbing in circles as the chalk absorbed the residual water.

“Wha, Blanca,” James smiled, pouring out more of the mixture to rub into legs and feet, hands, arms. Only carefully did he rub around Q’s face, hairline neck and privates before rolling the omega to get to his back and buttocks. Dry, old skin and blemishes from wounds sloughed off of the omega and James’ own hands as he worked, carefully ensuring that every fold of limb and joint was seen to.

“You know, in the Lowlands, this is what would be done to prepare an omega before heat. Firstly by the close pack, then the mate once they were bound. That is, once an alpha had won a claim on their omega through gifts and courtship… Imagine, there’s much more pomp and ceremony down there, but this is their equivalent to our Run. Luxury and sensuality compared to challenge and chase.” James added some lemon and mint-scent to a bowl of cool water and began to wipe the mixture off his omega with gentle thoroughness. Q’s moans abated enough for him to form words.

“Its lovely, different, spectacular but, but…”

“But not for the likes of wolves like you and me? I know. That’s what catches at my mind. It seems soft, and lazy maybe, or too opulent for Highland life… But maybe our half of the world could use some spoiling.” James growled the last bit as he pressed the refreshing cloth up Q’s supplicant neck. “I’d prefer you spoiled to hurt any day. But at least I get to do this for you now.”

“Where,” Q swallowed and tried again as James cleaned off his face and wrung out the cloth. “Where did you learn?”

“This?” there was a murmur of assent. “On my travels. I’m afraid for a few years I haven’t been a very stable wolf, eventually I got far down south. They’re no better off than us in terms of numbers, after all that’s where the disease came from, deep in the tropics, but sometimes I think they’ve adapted better.”

“How so?” Q blinked back, steadied from the momentary reprieve on his senses. James paused, letting the small bowl of oil heat over the fire and turning to Q, placing a hand back on his omega’s softened, flat belly.

“What few omegas they do have left, they’ve cared for… Things are a lot more relaxed down south…” He paused, wondering whether it was worth replying to Q fully if it risked upsetting them both. “Alphas are a lot more relaxed, and have learnt to be more so. Any omegas are… _crowned_ , in a way, praised on high and… _serviced_ by a chosen array of alphas.” Q sat up a bit on his elbows, frowned.

“Serviced? What do you mean? _Raped_?” His hand rose to cup Q’s neck and tightened, frowning in pain for his Q.

“No, no not that. If I remember rightly they call it a ‘Harem’, and the omegas are all more than willing. As I understood it, they, and there aren’t more than six breeding ones of them, _choose_ alphas in the pack to… sort of multipally-bond and mate with. Like a group bonding. It’s hard to explain.” Q seemed to agree with him on that one, looking a little alarmed at the prospect.

“They mate with more than one alpha?”

“I know, it doesn’t sit right does it, but in a way it makes sense- no not like that.” James soothed as Q bristled, either at the thought of others touching him or of being disloyal to James.

“The alphas are willing volunteers, the whole pack raise the pups, no one’s entirely sure of paternity so everyone cares for everyone as their own. They have a high pup survival rate only…”

“Only they’ve got no one to share life with like this any more.” Q finished, laying a hand on James’ shoulder and stroking with his thumb slightly.

“Exactly. And that’s what I couldn’t give up… Not to mention the majority of the Highland alphas. When it became clear that the omega population had crashed and wouldn’t recover to the numbers we all needed, that’s when the first suggestion to switch to Lowland-style mating was brokered in a Pack Meet.” One of only a few that had ever been called since the Great War. “Only no alpha seemed to be able to stand the thought of conceding power to omegas like that, even though you and us were dying in the Runs. They couldn’t stand the thought of being the ones out of control. Or of sharing.”

“Or being subjected to the same cruelty they’d forced upon others.” Q added meaningfully.

“I suspect there was a lot of that too. Accompanied with pride, and look where it’s got us now.” James had to concede. Q took a moment to reach up and stroke his hand over James’ cheek.

“Well, as for _us_ , its done okay.” The words, and small, adoring smile loosened the knots in James’ chest and he grinned, kissing Q quick.

“Right now, I can agree with that.” At least in terms of them with each other, otherwise the world had been too cruel to contemplate. James kissed his mate again before encouraging him back down.

The oil was heated on the fire and James used it to massage the aches of heat and old injury out of Q, the blend a unique balm that pulsed warmth through sore muscles and left Q panting and pliant through his moans, skin supple beneath James’ near-trembling hands.

Another cold rinse to remove the oil and James finally washed out Q’s hair with fine dark liquid that seemed to set his hair gleaming with a wet, inky shine.

“ _James_ , Blanca your hands,”

“Nearly there gorgeous.” There were but two steps to go, and James set the chalk and perfume block to melt into cream within some water as he washed the oil from Q’s skin with a second round of cool water. The scent coming off the petal-strewn mix seemed to be doing un-Lobo-like things to Q, or maybe Blanca-blessed things, James wasn’t certain, having to clear his throat at each and every shiver and moan, each ripple of the omega’s lean muscle under perfumed, wet skin.

Squeaky clean and thoroughly tended to, Q stretched pliantly as he was dabbed dry with a cloth.

“Thank you, oh Blanca I could melt. You have to give credit to the Lowlands, they’ve got some things spot on.” James chuckled at his mate’s blissed out voice, moving to rub some of the cream-like final mixture onto his hands.

“And it’s not over yet.” Disbelieving eyes widened to stare at him from where Q was sniffing his own hand curiously.

“There’s _more_?”

“Mm, softening lotion.” The alpha purred.

“Softening... I don’t even know what that is!” Q wondered, and James smirked as he took hold of his omega’s hand and smoothed the scented cream up from fingertips to armpit in one sweep.

“It’s going to make you even more luscious.” He all but rumbled the words as he worked, Q’s whole body soon sliding against itself smoothly and the scent of a last bout of slick coating the air.

“James, James, uhh, touch me, fuck.” It didn’t really take much persuading. Enthusiastically James sunk onto his omega, both their legs kicking most of the gift package into a scented heap in their tangling enthusiasm.

“Ouch,” Q laughed through his curse as the clang of a pot reverberated off the pair of them, and brought a hand to stroke down James’ face. After a moment of letting their eyes meet Q pulled him down for a long kiss. Wrapping one hand around the younger wolf’s chest and the other around his hip James sank into his mate as they remained tongue-tied, incurring a muffled moan and growling his own into Q’s mouth.

Their pace remained slow and gentle, having pounded each other enough to appreciate the slide of skin and gradual build of pleasure. James would have carried on endlessly chasing that high if he didn’t know that Q was sore, instead the alpha gripped Q’s length and stroked him in time with their thrusts until thighs were gripping him tightly around the waist. Q’s head was thrown back, hands curled in James’ hair as he whimpered and panted into completion around the other man’s swelling knot.

With the last residues of heat being coaxed out with the bathing, their knotting didn’t last long, just enough for Q to begin slipping back into a relaxed sleep.

James covered the omega as they parted, wrapping him gently in a fur that Q snuggled into laxly. With a stretch and smile the alpha went to stir their neglected stew and throw in some water before moving back to wrap around Q in a heap whilst it finished cooking.

Blissful lack of thought and need coated James’ satisfied mind and body, and he remained content to bundle with Q until the smell of dinner roused them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So heat has drawn to a close but not to worry there's plenty more adventures for these two!  
> Writing this chapter of course made me want to write one where 00Q are lowland wolves because the whole luxurious bathing thing really does it for me, and if any of you know any good 00Q harem stories please let me know! ;D  
> Thank you for all the comments and kudos and other delicious morsels, your encouragement has been the source of my motivation in a couple of tough weeks that have hopefully subsided now, so thank you for that too, my lovelies!
> 
> Next chapter in the usual week and I hope you all enjoyed this one, as ever any questions please fire away! :D  
> Ciao for now!


	7. Sniff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keeping schedule Like A Boss. You'll all be glad to know that about 4 chapters of this story got written this week. I'm quite impressed, and hope you all enjoy the fruits of that labour in coming weeks :D
> 
> This chapter will inject some plot back and ergo here's one of my over-cautious **Warnings:** dub con touching/overt intimacy.

[](http://imgur.com/fiFMnTu)

 

\---

 

“So, is he, do you think?”

“Its too soon to tell, we wont know for over a month surely, and then only if he starts going off his food.”

“But after a second heat that fast how could he not-“

“Maybe it was too soon. The bond might want to cement but the body might still be suffering.”

“I saw him in medical when he first came in. Wouldn’t have believed he’d gone into heat so soon if it hadn’t happened.”

Rumours and whispers dogged without any veil of subtlety after Bond’s footsteps as he returned to the main pack den and to M’s demanded audience.

Free from the miasma of their heat, James found himself much more relaxed about Q’s potential-or-otherwise pregnancy. Instead he was back to feeling glad that Q was with him and safe and happy. The omega was still under the last licks of heat’s fatigue and vulnerability, and much more content to stay in nest than wander through a pack of alphas to speak to its head.

Not that James could refuse him on a normal day, but after a heat he was particularly helpless to resist giving in to Q’s needs and requests. If his mate was pregnant, then James was sure he would suffer even worse bouts of need to provide for Q’s every whim.

On the subject of pregnancy he tried not to think about it when possible. Although that in itself was fairly impossible when he had Q around him naked with his soft-slim belly on show. Everything alpha in him of course craved it. Was that not the epitomic reason why their nature made them bond? But the more strategic side of him could see the problems where they lay.

With their relationship still so new, Bond was mesmerised enough by his mate, and vice-versa, that he was content to wait longer and relax further in each other before fathering pups. There was also the problem of the pack, James wanted Q fully integrated, and although every wolf from here to MI5 wanted them to father pups and soon, Q himself wouldn’t have found his niche within their numbers. The omega deserved to find a job, a role, James was sure the omega could help them advance in their mechanics, he’d seen how clever Q was with trinkets and those stunning lanterns that now hung up in their den.

He wasn’t sure it was possible for Q to feel entirely at home until he was respected and used to the pack. They all wanted to meet him more fully after all, but James could sense the younger wolf’s reticence on that. Finding a job, a place, respect… Well, that would cement him better than the stereotypics of ‘pup-maker’ ever would. Right now Q was essential, but not full pack. Not everyone could bring themselves to protect an unknown entity, no matter how key Q was for their survival.

There was, however, the matter that, no matter what James thought or how they both felt or how young Q was… the pack _needed_ pups. And in a way, the sooner Q could become pregnant the better in terms of cementing his value and ergo protection. Not to mention nullifying any whispers from jealous and bitter alphas about Q’s fertility or about the strength of their bond. When James thought of it like that, he could consider that Q finding a role within the pack during the first early half of his pregnancy would probably suffice.

But then the earlier they had pups, the sooner they’d be expected to do it again. He couldn’t stand the thought of Q being turned into a breeding machine.

But then the sooner the pack could have pups, the more pups they could have, which –survival wise- was their optimal need.

Q likely wouldn’t produce large litters, three pups at average? But no matter what M had rattled off about ‘quality over quantity’, numbers were an issue.

The whole mess and sense of pressure led James to grumbling uneasily under his breath as he walked along to the meeting den, leaving him aching to return to Q so he could know, prepare himself.

There was at least, one huge relief, in that no matter what James’ befuddled alpha brain had thought during Q’s heat, there had never been a concrete way to tell if an omega was pregnant before the signs started showing.

Q either would or wouldn’t be pregnant, and whichever way it fell the alpha would either be able to focus on preparing for pups or get to enjoy another heat in two-three months.

Still, at least M didn’t beat around the bush when he entered.

“Well? How did it go?” James gave himself a moment to sigh and roll his eyes. Apparently other wolves were just as impatient as him to know the verdict that couldn’t be given. Once again he was severely glad that he hadn’t brought Q along with him.

The desperation for pups and answers was not something he wanted his, thus-far, not-pup-focused mate to have to think about.

-00Q00-

Back in a cosy den up the mountain, Q was yawning and lounging in their aired furs whilst fiddling with filing a fine edge onto a special knife he was making for James. The omega had been recalling seeing his mate’s athletic wolf body, honed muscles bunching and twisting as the alpha leaped for a flash of silver. He’d been in screaming pain when he’d felt Silva’s body jerk free, teeth loosening on him as they ripped flesh and threw him. The ground had hit hard enough for Q to see stars. But shot just within the corner of Q’s shaken eye-range was the image of James’ pale form twisting back as Silva re-lunged for him.

The second flash of metal with James’ lethal aim had spared Q’s life, certainly his sanity. And although the omega could barely remember his mate’s own jaws closing round his scruff to save him slipping off the edge of the cliff, he could remember the astounding aim of the throw.

With a hunting, prey-dismembering knife. Q frowned, lifting the metal blade he was holding to stare down the straight edge he was honing. If James had those skills, Q could go one better.

Quite why he felt the need to ply James with weapons possibly had something to do with the lingering, deep-seated fear that still gripped him at the thought of threat. Regardless, the quality of metal that the MI6 and 5 mountain wolves had managed to source lent itself beautifully to honing. And Q was making James a knife to be thrown accurately and at will.

Long-distance defence, it appealed to Q immensely, negating the risk of coming into contact with anyone who wasn’t James.

“Hello! Q?”

… _Or Alec_. Q added to himself with a smile, sliding the knife away into a wooden chest James had organised for Q to fill with his belongings.

“Can I come in?” Alec shouted from outside the den again. Quite why the alpha seemed less threat than any other save James, Q couldn’t really explain. It probably helped that James had suggested the other alpha dropping in whilst he was away, if that was alright. Just in case.

To be honest, Q had little problem with that. Alec had made it plain in all their interactions that although he seemed to recognise Q as an ‘attractive fertile omega’ he had never been a threat to the bond. In fact the fist time James left Alec and Q alone the odd wolf had said that for each mated couple each alpha they met would fall into one of two categories; those that saw the bond as sound and sought to protect it as pack, and those that felt they could break that bond and replace it with a stronger one, therefore seeking to come between an omega and their mate. The longer a bond was cemented for and other factors such as family, personality and pups counted for the strength of the bond and would gradually dissuade more and more competition… In a normal climate with closer alpha-omega numbers there was barely any. And that served more to control inappropriate matings than break up good ones. A normal mating bond served to dissuade most alphas from trying to stake a claim as it was once the couple had gone through heat together.

Since he and James had now gone through two heats, with Q’s second one being admittedly fast and eager seeming, they’d probably lose more competition yet.

Alec certainly fell into the first breed either way, whilst Q had noticed a fair few around MI6 that didn’t. Therefore, he was more than happy to have the protection.

On the tail end of his heat Q was feeling languid and sated, a bit tender and honestly not at his best. Quite why M needed a heat report of all things… probably best not to think about, but the omega wasn’t feeling particularly defence capable.

“Come in!” Q called back, hearing the wind outside and smelling snow and not wanting James’ best friend freezing out on the slope. Alec wriggled in as a wolf for ease and shook his fur off before lolloping forwards to greet Q with his tongue out. “Hello.” Alec sneezed at him in response before proceeding to give Q a thorough sniff-over.

With Alec as a wolf, it didn’t seem so bad as human eyes raking over his naked flesh, though still a bit uncomfortable. The alpha’s cool, damp nose twitched lightly over his skin and down to intimate places. Q blushed a bit and whined uncomfortably, but Alec didn’t remove his snout until he was satisfied.

Of course, in wolf form, the mingled scent of the pair of them must be fascinating, especially for wolves that hadn’t smelt the like for years save for in beta pairs. Alec’s nose eventually left Q’s buttocks and the alpha barked happily and pranced around in a circle before flopping down by Q, head on his back and panting happily.

Ruffling into his own fur, and having to shift from the ensuing frog-legged position it left him in, Q found himself the victim of ecstatic licks.

“Lobo, you two, you smell perfect together! Like a new pack of your own!” Alec enthused, unable to stop wriggling, and planted his face nudgingly between Q’s legs with a whine again. “It’s amazing! You smell incredible!” thoroughly embarrassed and wondering if it really was a good idea to have the puppy-like-curious and boundary-less alpha watching over him, Q rolled away with a whine of his own.

Alec sat on him. Q struggled and snapped at the wagging fur of the man’s tail but was generally powerless to get free. Alec was almost twice the size of him, certainly more in bulk.

“Hey, I won’t hurt, just let me, alright? You have no idea how new this smell is.” Q whined, wriggled and growled as Alec calmly settled over him, sniffing deeply and occasionally even _licking_ where he was still heat and sperm wet in curiosity. Q didn’t like it. And only the still somehow gentle and unthreatening nature of Alec matter-of-factly using his bulk as one would a sibling kept Q from panicking.

It was also his first experience of the utter fascination and need alphas would feel to cement themselves in the scent of new pack-bonds. Unbeknownst to Q, or at least half forgotten at the time, omegas would act in the same way, if less dominantly. Betas too were naturally curious about new mingling smells, but they lost interest faster.

For Alec, and indeed all alphas, it was new, it was promise, and, also…

“Mm I can’t tell if you’re pupped, shame, I’d love there to be pups, fun little fluff balls.”

“ _What_?!” Q exclaimed, he hadn’t even thought about it, well, he had of course, but he’d been far too preoccupied with James to consider any chance of pregnancy.

“Either way, you’re properly mated now, no wolf is breaking this, though who’d want to? You guys smell great!” Alec _nuzzled_ happily and without care into Q’s privates and the younger wolf snarled and bit him on the fluffy behind. The alpha yelped high-pitched and leapt up, jumping off to the side of Q and rolling to his side unthreateningly. The omega, in turn, leapt up and bit him on the ear sharply, growling.

“Ow, sorry, sorry, deserved that, you just smell- alright! Alright!” Alec quickly wriggled himself back a bit as Q bared teeth and, mostly in pointed threat, lunged towards the alpha’s own privates. With Alec paw-raised and remaining unaggressive in apology Q grumbled and buffeted roughly into the other wolf, taking the opportunity to chew on his scruff pointedly instead when Alec appeasingly let the hit roll him more than it should.

“Yeah, fair enough, you get your own back.” Alec allowed, and Q tugged his scruff harshly before dropping down over the alpha, bites turning non-aggressive and more into stubborn play. Q had to admit, it was nice to feel that he could act like a normal wolf with an alpha that wasn’t mated to him and still get away with it.

Eventually Q play growled a bit and Alec tentatively reached over to close a gentle mouth around his back paw. From there they broke into a wrestle.

Alec easily rolled and buffeted Q gently around, the omega still a bit heat-weak, but raised no protest to the smaller wolf pouncing on him and generally being a bit obnoxious. In fact, they both were. Perhaps that was why they got on so well and without retaining resentment that a pinned omega and unsubordinated alpha usually would. Q suspected Alec had never entirely grown up, and certainly for himself Q knew he was still quite a young wolf.

The play wrestling was tiring and Alec often became excited and jubilant at the smell under Q’s tail and amongst the pile of furs, and in the end when Q tired Alec flumped down on top of him partially and smugly as if to say ‘I won’ and licked all over Q’s belly and then ears… But Q found he didn’t mind too much. It wasn’t that he wanted to be the one dominating Alec necessarily, but the alpha was giving him respect, somehow, in the way they played like equals.

Alec didn’t hold back because Q was an omega… but he also didn’t prevent Q from being as rough as he wanted in return, that, and he did listen when asked to stop.

Case in point, when Q shook his head and grumbled a bit at the ear-licking, Alec backed off and dropped his head to lie beside Q instead. The omega wouldn’t be surprised it he woke up to find himself squashed under an Alec puppy pile, but for now was content with curling up into a tight ball, nose under his tail… Where, admittedly, the scent of James and himself together did smell quite consuming, didn’t taste bad either, when he felt the need for a clean.

-00Q00-

 

_“The word from the forest is dangerous enough as it is, no one wanted Q to go to such a powerful pack. There’s nothing we can do about his brother.”_

James felt M’s words repeating in his head as he trudged back to their den.

Revolt in the forest. Not just alphas but whole packs attacking each other, joining together. So it was confirmed then, the threat that Sherlock had sniffed out with John. An uprising the likes of which no wolf has seen since the Great War. And a lone, rogue group of alphas reporting to be swarming in ever increasing numbers through the forest and swampland packs.

MI6’s beta spies out there were the only ones able to report back. And even then just barely. Alphas they had no word from. Either they’d joined the swarm or been killed by it.

James just couldn’t think how to break the news to Q. It would kill him.

Returning to his own den wasn’t meant to send such warring emotions through him. After a moment’s pause on the threshold, letting the biting wind sting his face with mocking nips, the alpha couldn’t resist the drive to reunite with Q. Taking a breath, one that brought with it a taste of his mate, James headed into the narrowing of their den entrance.

Inside the sounds of Alec cackling about something or other and Q’s quieter, soft-lulled voice explaining brought James’ chest to a clench.

Neither of them knew anything. As far as James was aware even Alec hadn’t been informed of M’s investigations into the forest. The only reason he knew after all was thanks to Q’s brother… Lobo, how could he crush his mate and friend’s happiness like this? That the world was going to be at war…

It also took a moment to gulp back the alpha instinct that growled at smelling another dominant presence near his mate. Alec was trusted, safe. And possibly about to become, save from Bond himself, one of the last line of defence between enemy wolves and Q.

Because there was no doubt in James’ mind that the omega was whom they would be gunning for.

_His_ omega. Who he’d promised he’d keep safe.

The rising feeling of nausea was curbed somewhat by entering his very-Q-smelling den and seeing the younger wolf’s head perk up with a grin. James couldn’t help his own grin as he sat down to grab Q as the omega clambered over their nest of blankets. Nuzzling and biting gently at each other’s throats the pair reconnected from their short time away.

“Hey you’re making me blush over here.” Alec complained, but with a grin. Q ducked out of James’ neck but the alpha’s arms curled around further to stop him from letting go.

“James?” Q asked, looking back at him with a worried frown. Feeling his own expression crumble and set into grin determination, James hauled the omega closer until he was safely perched atop the larger’s lap.

“James, what’s wrong?” The second, perplexed question came from Alec, frowning himself now. Slowly the other alpha drew closer as if the whole den wanted to lean in to listen. Q remained watching closely with rising concern as James took a deep breath.

“M’s beta spies out in the woods. They’ve reported an uprising.” Both other wolves stiffened at his words, storm howling loudly outside.

“What.” Alec’s growl cut lethally through the silence, the man’s face fixed into a sharp sort of rage.

“A large group of alphas have been swarming through the smaller packs, amalgamating or decimating them, growing. Remaining packs are panicked, betas are fleeing left right and centre when they sense unrest and trying to join resisting packs, or forming small hidden groups. It’s turning into a massacre only the forest packs and swamp ones wont trust anyone else to give more information than that. They’re all running scared. Some are fleeing South…”

“What are you saying?” Q’s clipped voice was barely above a fear-strangled whisper. James could see the haunted eyes of that omega he’d found on the riverbank looking up at him and he hated it.

“They’re heading North. They’re coming here.”

“It’s war.” Alec finalised, and the silence sat heavy and pregnant around them. Q’s arms were stiff around James’ neck.

“It’ll take them weeks yet to get here, in that sized a rabble, picking the fights they are on the way.” The comfort from that was almost nonexistent.

“What numbers are we looking at?” Sharp and to the point, Alec’s eyes were gleaming with some sort of territorial fever.

“Hard to tell, we’re looking at upwards of forty,” Q’s stuttered gasp halted any more words from James in their tracks as he turned to pull the younger wolf closer still. He could feel the trembling.

“We’ve got more alphas than that.” Alec remarked, low, some sort of comfort offering for Q. No one in the den was under any doubt about what one of this stitch-up pack’s goals would be.

“Not if we have more like Silva.” The omega’s voice really was a chocked whisper now, but the alphas couldn’t deny it even for that.

Of course not all the pack was happy, no matter what most of them believed of themselves, when faced with the opportunity of an omega what would any of them really do.

“There’s some food,” The silence had stretched on long enough and James nodded Alec towards his pack. “See if you can make something of it.” The other alpha nodded, glad for the job and seeing James’ ulterior need. Standing, James carried Q with him, clinging as the omega was, and moved into one of their side dens, setting them both down on some thicker winter blankets.

“Q,” the omega wasn’t even looking at him, face frozen in fear at some distant sight, fingers curled. James ran his hands up over Q’s bent knees and gripped at his legs firmly around the calves. “There’s something more.”

Green eyes met his glassily with wariness and shutdown terror.

“What?” The drawn out word left James breathing deeply. But he was committed to this. M may have sworn him not to tell for any number of reasons; disturbing Q, risking any possible pregnancy, the fact that this alpha rabble may die out and everything to have been for nought… but he couldn’t do that to his Q. Feeling sick again, James readied himself.

“It’s your brother. They’ve kidnapped Mycroft.” Q’s whole expression crumbled into disbelieving agony, body going slack in shock.

“Wh-wh-“

“We don’t know why. Possibly as leverage on you,” James’ own voice strangled at the end, at the thought, Q’s numb eyes glazing away from him somewhere. “Or for information on you.” He finished with a growl.

“Mycroft, Blanca _fuck_.” Q’s face scrunched into some distraught mixture, body trembling. Biting down the frantic worry and odd sense of guilt that tightened his chest James went to drag Q closer to soothe him, but paused.

Q wasn’t shaking with fear or misery, or not only that at least. The omega was shuddering with rage.

“I’m going to kill them. Fucking _bastards_.” The growl in his mate’s whispered voice brought something primal in James to the forefront and he gathered Q close, growling into the omega’s neck.

“We’ll do it together… And I wont let them get you.”

Somehow, in the safety of their den with the storm battling outside, that was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will throw out a bone, thing? in regards to the dub-con warning and Alec in this chapter, that for the wolves in this story he is being a tad rude and incorrigible but not condemnable given the parameters, he is simply being too overexcited and puppy-like about the whole thing, and though probably needed to learn some manners (which he hasn't so far in life...) Alec stops when asked and apologises, and would never hurt Q intentionally and would never make an attempt on his and James' bond... he's just a bit of a numpty. (I'm really hoping people don't suddenly start hating Alec, I didn't intend for that!)
> 
> Phew, sorry had to say that... I've got into trouble before *shifty eyes* In picture information, Alec has the most coat colours of any wolf!
> 
> And, finally... I'm so so sorry about what has happened to Mycroft. He was always going to get kidnapped, and I know this might be upsetting, so I do apologise. I felt particularly cruel putting it in.
> 
> So, with all of THAT fun stuff said, thank you for reading and thank you so much for the comments kudos and bookmarks etc of last chapter and I hope you enjoyed and now I'm going to run a little before people eat me!  
> See you next week!


	8. Learn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... this week I've mocked-up a family on the Sims to vaguely behave and look like like Mycroft, Sherlock and Q from my head canon of them growing up... Which didn't make me want to write a story about the three of them leaving home when Mycroft was eighteen and muddling through life at all. Nope! Not one bit!...  
> Yeah I may have started that a little now.
> 
> Anyway! Enough Sims ranting! Enjoy what you came here for! ;D

[](http://imgur.com/37tFjh2)

 

\---

 

Preparations started happening very quickly after James’ news. Too quickly. Q, already torn between worry and rage at the entire thought of the rumours, was left feeling unsettled and unbalanced.

Not to mention sick with worry for his brother.

“And if they’ve got Mycroft, do they know about Sherlock hunting them?” Q ranted, pacing around in a circle with James looking on worriedly. Alec had run back down to the main pack to confirm the news himself and left the two of them to think. “Do they already have him too? Does he know about Mycroft? What sort of leverage…” A shuddered exhale broke him off from completing that thought. He could imagine enough awful things that could be used against the pair of them. “What’s even the point of such a huge number of alphas chasing m-one omega, it’s only like The Run again. Are they going to keep going until they’re all dead and I’m with the one survivor or-“

“Q, breathe.” James, in front of him, holding his shoulders tightly and ice-shadow eyes piercing in their concern, their hidden rage. “They. Will. Not. Get. You.” Q could breathe again at his alpha’s soft, firm words, let himself be pulled into the protective embrace. After breathing the securingly deep scent of James’ neck for a minute, Q had made up his mind.

“I want to speak with M.” Arms around him retracted back to his shoulders. James’ surprise was sharp on the air as he frowned at the younger wolf. Q took a deep breath.

“If anyone knows what’s happening out there, its her. And this time I want to know what’s going on.”

-00Q00-

Walking back through the pack with Q and knowledge at his side was surreal. As of yet, the word of war evidently hadn’t been passed to the rest of MI6. Therefore in everyone else’s mind Q’s heat was still of the utmost import.

James had to fight the urge to growl everybody off as Q trotted calmly as he could against the alpha’s shoulder. There were plenty of mutinous alpha looks that stood out from the eager and happy faces of the rest of the wolves. A chilling reminder that even with a pack as strong as theirs, there was no telling they could fend off a wave of aggressors. Not if there were more traitors in their midst.

“Congratulations!” A few betas burst out with as they were passing, bounding and lolloping playfully forwards to greet and sniff all over the pair of them in jubilation.

“Settle down, away. How are you feeling?” The grey wolf form of Tanner broke up the greeting swiftly and saved the younger betas from James’ jaws. Q managed to collect himself from the surprise and turned to address the Chief of Betas.

“I want to talk to M.” The tone of his voice brokered no doubt that the omega had been informed of everything and Tanner sighed as he looked at James.

“I told her you wouldn’t keep tongue from him. Come on.”

The mood in the pack somewhat changed into more confused speculation as Tanner led the grim-faced pair into the main den.

“Do you think it didn’t take?”

“How would they know already? Maybe they want to leave.”

“Surely that would be suicide.”

Whispers haunting their steps again they ventured into the cavern, James focusing on the feel of Q’s fur brushing against his own to calm him.

M was pacing the meeting stone as they approached as if she expected an audience.

“Bond. Q. Sooner than I expected I must admit.”

“What do you know about my brother?” Tanner winced a bit at Q’s lack of ceremony, and M seemed to take a moment of wrinkling snout to control herself at the impertinence.

“No doubt your mate has told you all that I told him. And that’s all I know. He was taken hostage at the foothills in Dry Valley.”

“Dry Valley?” Q questioned, looking to James.

“We didn’t go through there, it surrounds some of No Man’s Land. Small loyal pack living in a dried out creek bed.”

“We had their leader, a wolf called Lestrade give the report himself.”

“He’s here? Did he actually see Mycroft?” Q cut sharply to the point. M sniffed again.

“He is, and he did. He was lucky to get out. The whole pack was ambushed.”

“Where is he, can I see him?” James turned to stand in front of Q slightly.

“Are you sure? He’ll be an alpha.” Q swallowed visibly, but looked set.

“I need to know, I can’t be upwind from this any longer… And you’ll be with me wont you?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation there, and James was starting to think that maybe Q was a bit ahead of him in the game, or at least running a sharper knife through the situation. After all, he’d been one of the last to question M’s directions up until now. And this was their fate, his and Q’s.

James may not have started the problem, or be the only influencing element, but their bonding was the catalyst for this unrest. And whatever the outcome, it would be the two of them at the climax.

Briefly it made the alpha shudder at the thought of just what would have happened if Q had been claimed by a smaller pack, just how many alphas might his mate have gone through, or would they still be hiding in some hovel quaking with the fear of another alpha’s discovery. Or might he be dead from stress or violence. Mad.

Shaking the agonising thoughts away James refocused on Tanner who had begun talking after watching the pair of them.

“You can’t see him for long, he was badly injured, but if you’re sure then this way. I think he wanted to see you too.” Tanner informed Q, and after checking M for a nod of assent turned to lead the way to the medical halls.

“I’ll bet he did.” James rumbled dangerously as they set off, Q looking back at him with a bit of anxiety.

-00Q00-

Lestrade turned out to be a middle-aged alpha whose fur was a rather gorgeous mottled grey with a dark ruff. He was lying on a set of clean medical hides and shifted quickly into his skin when approached by the three wolves. Respectfully the alpha covered himself with a nearby fur.

“Tanner, and are you-“ Q grabbed a nearby hanging shirt from a pile of similar and shifted smoothly behind James into his skin, slipping into the shirt as he went.

“Q, yes.”

“Blimey. Right.” The alpha seemed to take a moment to blink at the omega before him before remembering himself. “Greg Lestrade. Pleasure.” Q just nodded a bit. James shifted into skin beside him, taking his time to clad himself in a shirt whist Tanner hurried into one.

“I hear you were the last to see my brother.”

“Mmm. Both of your brothers, I reckon.” The wolf pushed himself up with his undamaged arm stiffly, wincing. Q himself sank onto a nearby fur with shock.

“ _Both_?” The alpha’s face darkened, tone turning twisted in pain and bitter.

“Sherlock got there just hours after they took Mycroft, along with mutilating half my pack. Told me to go here, tell _you_ that he’s going after them. Though what he bloody expects to do single-handed… well. If anyone can its Sherlock.” Q felt unsteady in the face of the news. Sherlock was alive, but for how long? His middle brother running into another fight he couldn’t win was just as agonising as the thought of Mycroft in grave peril and enemy paws.

“You know Sherlock?” James cut in, curious and suspicious. Lestrade just shrugged.

“Sure, he was part of my pack on and off for about a year. Settled in when he mated with John. Funny pair but wouldn’t doubt them in a crises. And thank Lobo they showed up when they did.” Q drew a breath and focused himself more.

“What happened?” If Lestrade wouldn’t tell them the tragedy of his pack, Q wouldn’t blame him, but the alpha looked around the room and eventually settled his gaze on Q.

“I’ll tell _you_. You’ll both need to know anyway.” The man cleared his throat, tightness stealing over his frame.

“My pack is mostly betas. Got one other alpha. Donovan,” The alpha cursed under his breath. “Should have listened to Sherlock about her.” Tanner was frowning now.

“You said it was an ambush-“

“She bloody sold us out didn’t she!” The man half shouted, and Q shrunk backwards into James’ legs behind him, steadying. “Mycroft was stopping with us on his way to you, we’ve been hearing things from the forest but since there’s only me and her as alphas in the pack and neither entered the run we didn’t think much of it. Got our own quarrels with some territory disputes anyway.”

“You didn’t run?” Lestrade met Q’s eyes at the confused question and the omega sniffed instinctively at the pained eyes he found looking at him. The scent answered his question well enough, now he was paying attention to it.

“You look half enough like him too…” James’ growl filled the background threateningly. “I’ve lost a mate once. I couldn’t live through it happening again.”

“The disease.” Tanner supplied, quietly, filling in what they all knew. James’ growling didn’t stop so much as choke off in horror at the thought of loosing a mate, the evidence before his eyes. Lestrade took a breath.

“My kids too. Two omegas, one alpha. The disease hit them too young. They didn’t make it. My alpha girl got torn apart in the run for some snow in fire chance at an omega. So no. I didn’t run.” James’ hand was tight on Q’s shoulder and shaking, Q himself felt sick and Tanner looked white with pain.

“As for Donovan, well, I can only assume she knew about this pack of alphas stirring, though that’s not the reasoning she gave me at the time.” The man took a breath and shook his head. “Sherlock comes and goes as he pleases, John now too, both were lone betas when they joined me. Betas are less… painful to be around. Anyway, Mycroft’s helped us out a lot in the past with disputes, we knew you were in The Run and when he needed stop over’s I was only too glad to offer him a place for the night. Sherlock had been gone since before he found out it was your heat. Mycroft came as planned and that’s when Donovan sprung her trap.” The man’s voice darkened yet further.

“Apparently there’s these two wolves at the lead of this rabble who would do anything to get Mycroft, to get you.” He nodded at Q meaningfully. “And I don’t know how they’re doing it, but they’ve got every alpha in there convinced that they can have a piece of you too. Donovan evidently fell for as much. And that’s even after she’d been running with one of my betas Anderson for the last few months. Lobo-damn distraught he was. So,” Tired, sickened eyes fell to James and Q.

“She let these two know where Mycroft would be and when, and in the middle of the night they ambush us. A pack of fifty-odd against Mycroft, fifteen betas and me. Over in a damn flash. Everything was destroyed, Mycroft beaten and grabbed, not too harmed from what I could tell.” Lestrade added on sympathetically when Q paled drastically. “Scared my betas half to hell and attacked any who fought back, nearly had me until John and Sherlock ran in from nowhere and saved my skin. Most of the alphas had run back wherever they came from with Mycroft, just a couple left to ‘clean up’ that quickly scarpered. We’d taken down a couple and the ones that were on me Sherlock and John dealt with fairly fast. Damage was done though.” He indicated his cast arm, the bandages on his forehead, torn ear and gauze wrapped throat. Beneath the fur was evidence of more breaks and tears. It was obvious why the alpha couldn’t have moved to visit them.

“My betas were terrified, I got what I could of them here, but some had run off scared and lost themselves into another pack’s territory, more died there…” Clearing his throat from the haunted look that crossed his eyes Lestrade looked back up. “Your brother, Sherlock, told me to come here and tell you what happened, that he’s gone after them, and if they can’t get Mycroft then they’ll join you here when they know their plan at least. Mycroft left something to tell you too.” Q, mouth dry and feeling a horrible sense of numb hopelessness, agony, managed just about to talk.

“What was it?” Lestrade frowned at him, eyes sympathetic in the shared pain of lost family, pack, cause.

“That what’s been done once, can always be done again. And that he always knew you could run good enough to fly.”

The thought of Mycroft’s praise for him being sent as some sort of last words, some sort of goodbye, was enough to clog Q’s throat completely. In response he could only nod, failing to meet the other wolf’s eyes.

“Just one more thing.” James began, with some level of quiet respect for the older alpha and his pain, hand not leaving Q’s shoulder. “Those two wolves who were running the pack, did you get their names?” Q’s head flicked up at that, as did Tanner’s. Lestrade blinked, slowly, as if not knowing if the names would be either of no relevance or the cause of more upset.

“Jim Moriarty, and Raoul Silva.”

-00Q00-

James stood white knuckled and enraged, horrendously confused as Q threw up once more in the tunnel back to the main den.

“How could, I don’t,” The alpha could barely get a word out his throat was so clamped with fury. Kneeling just in front of him, James’ legs pressed up against his back in the only support he could offer whilst so tightly strung, Q gagged again.

“You said you killed him.” Tanner, pointing out the obvious with quiet sharpness as he looked on worriedly at Q’s shuddering form.

“A knife in the back.” His growl reverberated off the close walls.

“And you didn’t check for a body?” There was some disbelief in the beta’s voice now. Of course he was thinking that they must have taught James better than that.

“Obviously not.” Q sobbed wretchedly beneath him, scent turning frantic as his breaths strangled in oncoming panic in the younger wolf’s throat. “And I had more important things to worry about.” Tanner looked set to disagree on that before James leant down, breathing out long to try and calm himself as he encompassed Q gently.

“Q? Come back to me,” James’ hands gently slid round shaking shoulders to his omega’s stuttering chest and waist, pulling him back carefully as he could into supportive warmth.

“H-h-he’s, they,” James bent closer to hear, frowning, chest tightening in worry for Q now as it began to match his anger and frustration at his own failure. “I-I _can’t mate with them_!” James grabbed Q close, growling at the mere thought and Q’s distraught choke of a shout.

“Shh you won’t. You _won’t_. I won’t let that happen, you’re _mine_ , Q.” He growled the words into Q’s quivering skin, the long, trembling line of his neck. The scent of fear was strong in the air and even with all of the omega’s long limbs curled tightly into his arms and against his body the younger wolf was struggling to breathe more than stuttered, cried gasps.

“Q, listen to me, breathe, no don’t-“ But it was too late, Q’s whole body had wracked into hysterical, terrified sobs that he couldn’t recover from, couldn’t breathe from. Tanner was asking about getting a medical wolf in the background as James just tried to hold together the shattering pieces of his mate.

“Tanner, _go_.” The barked order brokered no disagreement and James rarely pulled rank on another but when he did it had never been refused yet. As the beta scarpered off, no doubt to report to M, James tried all he could to calm Q gently.

Ten little pinpricks of pain kept him grounded from where Q’s nails were clinging onto him desperately, digging into his flesh.

“Q, please,” The sobs were turning weaker, Q’s face tucked away from him in his defensive curl and the omegas weight and body started to limpen and sink downwards.

“James,” The last, agonised sob was weak and even as he hurried to slide a hand through Q’s hair to turn his face up the death-grip of fingers loosened to fall from his arm. James managed to see those gorgeous green eyes roll up, red rimmed and tear-struck as some last half-breaths choked and shuddered out of his mate.

“Q!” But there was nothing of Q left to respond as dead-faint gripped the lithe body, slackening it enough to make James fumble for a more solid grip, pulling Q close.

He’d managed well, Q had handled integrating somewhat into a pack full of alphas, he’d handled The Run, he’d flourished at being mated to James…

But there were some things no wolf should have to handle, and James couldn’t even begin to think how he could help Q get through this.

Pulling the omega’s limp head to rest on his shoulder, wrapping arms around to lift and carry the slumped body, James set about finding a nearby safe place for Q to come around in. distantly the sound of medical wolves was getting closer and James hurried down a side way to some small dens. Alec’s winter snowed-in den was around here somewhere and, as it was rarely used, wouldn’t smell too much of anyone other than them.

The last thing Q needed upon waking up was to be surrounded by more alphas.

_Of all the damn wolves_. James thought, cursing himself and the leaders of the rebel pack and everyone from M to Lobo and Blanca and back… There were just those two wolves that had struck Q the deepest. And for all Q’s bravery and for all his own words, James didn’t have any Lobo-dammed idea for how he was going to get them through this.

Curling close around Q’s limp form and positioning him into a gentle-firm cuddle, one hand lying and stroking safe on the omega’s neck to soothe him pliant, James calmed himself with picturing his teeth sinking over and over again into Silva and this Moriarty’s necks.

Medical would find them soon enough, force him to move Q into the better-aired hall if they could for observation. M would want to debrief and Alec would want to find them.

All James wanted in the world right then was to keep Q by his side. And deeper than that, see that Q still trusted his mate to keep him safe.

James had no idea whether or not he could follow through on such trust, but to not have it would break him. And to have it might mean he could survive and pull them through.

He _would_ pull them through.

They were bound now, entwined and mated and… as one hand drifted over Q’s belly he realised they still didn’t know if they were more than just them, now.

No alpha had torn them apart yet, and James wouldn’t let them do it now. Not while he was still breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone wondering the picture this week features Lestrade as the wolf lying down (I particularly like his coat x3) and Tanner with his back to the audience, who also came out with some cute markings!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and for those who are Donovan fans, I'm sorry, she just seemed the most likely to slip to me... And I couldn't resist making Anderson her somewhat used love interest. But in case anyone is worried Molly is definitely one of the survivors of the pack and may or may not make an appearance depending on the writing temperament...
> 
> Think that's it from me! HUGS of gignormic quality for everyone who has taken the time to comment and kudos this story, it means a lot to me considering that The Run nearly never got beyond it's first page break at the beginning... So thank you for reading so very much!  
> Till next time folks :3


	9. Encounter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew didn't think I'd make this deadline but I did!
> 
> **WARNING:** Goreish descriptions and violence. Characters in mental distress.

[](http://imgur.com/4cSLuN1)

 

\---

 

Q woke up to the sterile white of the medical area. His face was pressed up against James’ chest and the rumbling of speech could just be heard over the top of heartbeat.

“Both of us?”

“Yes. You, and Q certainly, are the only wolves we know who have had direct contact with both of these two…leaders as they call themselves. We need to know how to defend, and more than that. We need to know how to fight.” M’s sharp voice was grating, the innate knowledge of who was after him, who they were talking about was sickening. With a miniscule, bitten off whimper Q ducked himself closer to James’ scent, skin.

“If he can, that is.” M added, a note of sympathy in her voice that registered as kindness. James, noting that Q was awake pulled and held him closer, hand running deep into the omega’s hair and securing him somewhat. He felt a press of lips to his forehead and James’ low voice soothing in his ear.

“Are you awake? Q?” Devoid of the ability to talk, Q merely nodded. “I missed you.” For some reason the omission, and almost wrenched whisper of James’ pain, was grounding.

He wasn’t alone. He _wasn’t_ alone. And though it hurt like nothing else and scared him witless Q had to try, more, once again, to save himself. And James too this time.

As if sensing the change behind his mate’s restless shifting James curled them closer still.

“Not yet, you don’t have to do anything yet. You had a shock so just rest here. You scared me.” Letting out a shaky huff of breath, Q relaxed, folding into James’ arms. He didn’t feel quite right it was true, and he’d need all the breaks he could get at this rate. His throat was sore and dry with scratchiness. His body ached a bit from post-heat exhaustion, and he still felt poised on that teetering edge between shaky-faint and adrenaline-panic.

Being able to breathe James’ calming scent in for a few minutes, calming in the man stroking his hair back, was something he needed as well as wanted.

Nodding in reply to James’ question, Q felt his mate’s own breath of relief too.

“We’ll come find you.” The man replied to M, who seemed to accept this as her scent became fainter with the words. Another one came closer though.

“How is he?” James’ grumble displayed the alpha’s unease and anger over the situation, Alec rumbled in sympathetic reply.

“He’s here. Here’s where he’s staying.” The assured growl seeped into Q’s bones and for a glorious few minutes, he could believe it without a doubt too.

-00Q00-

_There were wolves, dead bodies before him. Lying together on the frozen ground, wind whipping through lifeless fur. Some tangled together in a grim lock of limbs and others arranged in long, morbid lines._

_Familiar fur-clad forms at Q’s pale paws. M, Alec, Lucas, John. But looking closer they turned into Sherlock, mouth agape with frozen rage. Mycroft, mutilated beyond most recognition, missing limbs and remains of lips creased in eternal pain, gorgeous thick fur matted and missing. James. James. Perfect looking snow-flecked pale fur unblemished, eyes closed… Blood on the snow beneath and Q whimpered at the horrible urge to turn him over and the agony of not wanting to see-_

_The body flipped as if by the thought alone and Q gagged and cried a long howl of ‘no’, caught between jerking forwards and backing away from the spill of innards and cruelty, the tear-like streak of blood from where someone had tried to claw his eyes._

_“Took a long time to get to you, pretty thing.” Silva, walking towards him, larger than Q remembered, paws crushing the army of wolves beneath him._

_“No,” Q backed a step, looked back down at James, couldn’t leave him, thought he saw him wheezing. “Oh James no,”_

_Cackling, his eyes found Moriarty, abnormally lean and starved body leaning over Sherlock’s._

_“Whose going to save him now Holmes! Whose going to save your precious brother?” Gleaming fangs tore into Sherlock’s dead body and ripped, tore, ate._

_“NO!” Q shouted, backed, heard James wheeze, Silva was inches away, paw and claws squashing into James’ insides and the scream of wind and pain blinded him deafening his ears-_

Q shot awake with a gasp, startling James upright beneath him.

“Q?” Every part of him was shaking as he gasped and Q let out a single sob.

He couldn’t bear it.

–00Q00-

James watched Q carefully all through their meeting with M around the dais in the main den. There were others there. Lucas and Ros from MI5 along with their leader Harry Peirce. Alec, Tanner. Lestrade was too injured still but there were a couple of other pack leaders and influential others from MI6.

Q hadn’t stopped shaking all morning. Ever since waking from what must have been some insanity driven gift of the night that the younger wolf wouldn’t speak of.

It wasn’t good to share Blanca’s nightly gifts. Passing over the mountains, as legend went, Lobo and Blanca had spared wolves the madness that lurked on the other side. But the dreams and nightmares that came in the night were Blanca’s gift of freedom or warning of the way of slipping into insanity. Some wolves thought to speak them brought you closer to loosing your mind.

When hallucinations and fits occurred in the day, under Lobo’s watch, those wolves were said to be beyond help.

Insanity was what had driven their ancestors away from the other side of the mountain. To wolves, it was the worst affliction of the soul. Mad wolves were cast out, packless, doomed to wander alone and fall further prey to themselves as outcasts.

For some reason James couldn’t fathom, no one else seemed to realise that madness was what wolves did to each other. They also seemed to forget conveniently about it in the case of the recently run omegas. Who had all, his poor Q included, suffered more than a wolf should have to bare and come away with the scars to prove it.

Certainly the last omega run before Q had been driven deeply mad by the events. She and her mate kept far away from their pack, the alpha and their two pups occasionally seen but that was about it.

James just hoped that Q’s shaking now wasn’t the sign that he had finally been pushed too far. But the omega was still talking, answering strategic questions, so James held hope from that.

Still, the sooner they could get out of here and to their den the better. They could be safe there, calm. As much as possible at least.

“Thank you. We know enough about Silva’s previous history of course. Joined our pack young and always had a rebellious streak but otherwise did good service. Gave me no indication he’d turn rogue… But of course, situations dictated otherwise.”

M’s stiff tone cut through James’ reverie as his and Q’s tale of their encounters with Silva came to an end.

“A wound like that though, you’d have thought it would slow him down.” Lucas pointed out.

“Apparently some wolves have even learnt to bend iron.” Ros drawled with a slight tone of disgust.

“Be that as it may, if he’s managed to get this pack together we can’t underestimate him. Lestrade was able to provide us with some information on how this pack operates, its attack strategy was well thought out and no doubt they’ll adapt that for advancing on a larger pack. What about the other leader, this ‘Moriarty’.” Pierce cut across his two lieutenants and turned to Q, who swallowed a bit.

“He was my pack’s leader. Took over from his father after killing him for it… Not a good wolf.”

“Did he show designs on you before?” Tanner asked, gently. Q shrugged a little helplessly.

“Does it matter if he did? Most of them had, I suppose. But I was under M-Mycroft’s protection and he was always more interested in Sherlock… I don’t know how far the obsession went but Moriarty always had some sick fascination with him.” Q glanced around nervously. “They’re both smart. Very smart. Moriarty wanted to cow him and Sherlock wanted him gone but there were too many alphas in the end and my brother was driven out.”

“As fascinating as this is,” James snapped round to snarl and glare at the scornful ancient face of the pack leader who had come up from the hills on the far east side of No Man’s Land. Near Q’s original pack. “ _He’s_ not the only one we need to be concerned about, some of us have other omegas to think about protecting?”

Q didn’t even try to argue with the easy dismissal, and that pained James and irked him more than anything. Of course, this man, as well as his pack, held the only other currently breeding omega. That mad soul James had been thinking of.

“Don’t pretend you care about other wolves Magnussen.” Alec growled. M hushed him with a snarl as the ancient alpha fixed the younger with a devoid of emotion blankness.

“Quite the contrary, I care deeply, about knowing how we’re dealing with all the problems, if I may suggest-“

“No.” James could have laughed at M’s sharp cut off and Magnussen’s almost offended, shocked face. “How you even managed to get her here is anyone’s guess. Her scent is all over the place. We’ve put her down deep in the caverns for now where the smell is somewhat concealed and if it calms down then she and her mate will have to go to one of the bolt-dens for safety.” M looked at James and Q pointedly. “Other side of the mountain from you two. The more you’re spread out the better our defence chances.”

“And one of them can act as bait for the other.” Ros finalised with a cool ‘tch’ of revolt at the mere concept that James could only agree with.

But if it kept his Q safe he’d sacrifice that other poor omega in a heartbeat. It wouldn’t even be hard to come to terms with. He’d certainly done worse before and that was without having a mate to defend.

Of course, it was more likely this army would gun for his ‘newer, fresher’ Q. His hands clenched by his sides at the mere thought. But if even a quarter of the approaching alphas could be drawn away by some other scent, He would take what he could get.

All the slightly derogatory, or at least dismissive talk of omegas, something of which Q was just one of maybe ten vaguely breeding ones, had sent his mate silent and withdrawn, eyes downcast and posture small.

It sent James’ jaw clenching, and he had to fight to focus on the last few important elements of their defence. Sentries, any wolf or army would have to come through the centre of MI6 and meet the bulk of their force. Then, scattered across the mountains towards the two omegas’ dens would be skilled assassin wolves. Alec, probably Ros and Lucas, several of M’s other favourites. There to catch out any wolves that broke through and went on.

Finally, there would be Q, and there would be James. Not even in their own den but one on treacherous slopes that only MI6 wolves knew how to tread safely. The last line of defence nothing but Nature’s own and James himself.

Sobering. James quickly took Q away from the meeting hall before any of the other alphas present could get any ideas into their heads, even here there had been people looking, eyeing up their chances. Anger and something more nauseating twisted James’ insides. How could all these wolves view their bond as so lacking that they had their eyes in? Their bond was _strong_.

Their bond was one of the only ones. That was why, surely. They _were_ strongly bonded; James couldn’t let himself believe anything else.

Beside him, hand tangled with James’ and trembling slightly, Q remained nearly silent save for evidence of shaky breath.

“You alright?” James murmured low, secretively. Q passed a tunnel entrance and turned towards it, pausing, sniffing.

“I want to…” James frowned and then turned to sniff where Q had. It was faint, he was impressed Q could even pick it out in passing, but down there was where they were keeping the only other omega. When had Q last seen one of his kind? “I don’t know…”

“We can, or,” he corrected as Q turned to him, surprised at the assurance. “We can at least go and see if her mate will let us. If you want to see her, that is. He may well not let us.” Q met his mate’s eyes, unsure yet somewhat fixed.

“I, she smells, I think I want to try.” Q trailed off, voice strangely tight. Nodding, the answer good enough for him, James turned and tugged lightly on Q’s hand to get him to follow.

-00Q00-

The tunnels were dark. Dark and they stank of fear and lunacy so strong that Q was struggling not to shake and James was growling beside him under his breath. The rumbling made him feel somewhat safer. Amidst the pheromones in that meeting and the casual slander and the thought of his… enemies, there was no other word, and the wake of his nightmare the night before, Q was barely clinging to the cliff edge himself.

And he couldn’t explain why he wanted to see this other omega. Maybe it was only natural, maybe it was to give him some strength to fight and avoid similar fate. Maybe it was because he might as well see the worst now… But he couldn’t deny it.

Deeper down into the twisting tunnels seemed like descending into the heart of the mountain, the stone started feeling damply warm and Q briefly considered how impossibly long this must have taken to carve out.

Screams interrupted him.

“ _Alphas ALPHA_!” Q froze, struck. Recognising that terror he’d only screamed in his own mind, that rage.

James had frozen too, grip impossibly tight on Q’s hand.

“You should lead, if we’re going.” And he sounded reluctant now, or stuck. Q gentled their hold on each other only slightly and took a deep breath through his mouth, pretending he too couldn’t smell another, highly defensive alpha. Just distraught, distressed omega. Probably not that dissimilar to himself, and, beneath that… pups?

Together they made their way down again until a dark-skinned growling man came charging aggressively around a corner. His scent, hidden by the stronger omega one, let the alpha take them completely by surprise and Q skidded to a halt with a squeak of terror and bundled backwards into James’ protective arms.

“What do you want, brother? Speak quickly.” The low, accented voice warned with a snarl, James’ own growling warring with it until the man opposite them –and Q could barely stand to look at him, shivering at the now oppressively aggressive scent- sniffed closer in their direction.

“An omega? So you’re the new pair. This isn’t a good time or place to gawk.” The threatening pheromones were rising and Q couldn’t help whimpering, knees buckling in fright.

This was so much more than his Run, how could it be worse? Was this how James smelled to other wolves when he was defending Q? No wonder they’d had no trouble here so far.

“Calm down. We didn’t come here to gawk.” James gritted out, his own aggression swimming dangerously close to the surface as he curled Q closer, practically holding him up.

The other alpha seemed to have switched gazes from James to Q when he heard the omega’s whimper. Of course by now Q was sure he was just pouring out his own hurt-me-not and terrified scent if James’ lethal muscles bunching was anything to go by.

“I’m sorry little one. I didn’t mean to scare you.” Q managed a few breaths but couldn’t bring himself to do much more than blink rapidly at the man’s chest, eyes dashing around. There was a heavy sigh. “But you’re not welcome here, neither of you.” The last bit was more pointedly at James. “I heard you were a good fellow, so I’m betting you’ll understand when I say it’s not my choice that matters.”

James and Q both seemed to steady a bit at that, almost as one rocking backwards as if to leave. But there was another noise now, a strangled snarling pant audible moments before the now aghast alpha moved minutely to the side and a snarling female omega pounced around the corner.

“Get them away from here! Get them-“

Q’s eyes went wide at the same moment hers did, the same moment James tensed in barely-hidden shock and the other alpha snarled in worry. Her hair was a tangled mess of what must once have been beautiful waves, dry and frayed against her olive skin and wild brown eyes. She was thin, but not unfed and curved nicely, tall. Her nails were long enough to resemble the claws her fur must have.

“You. You,” She panted, seeming to calm slightly before her eyes turned to James and with a scream launched at the pair of them.

The other alpha swore and James growled a confused warning as he ducked back, taloned hands caught and scrabbled into Q’s arm, yanking him away from James.

“ _Severine_!” the alpha rushed forwards to grab his deranged mate before she could get herself into trouble and the move forwards had James turning his aggression on the only source he could in the tense environment. That was all the surprisingly wily female needed apparently to detach the pair of them somehow and despite his own fingers raking into James’ arms with a yelp Q found himself dragged away and hurtled round the corner into a well-decked out den.

Flung to the floor, stunned and padded by a luxurious fur Q was soon smothered by the other omega pushing him down and sniffing all over.

“James!” Q yelped, not necessarily scared but shocked and amazed by the strength in her limbs. As the intensive sniffing examination continued Q found himself calming at the lack of threat.

“ _Q_!” By James’ shout, his alpha clearly wasn’t doing quite so well on the calm-front.

-00Q00-

“Woah _woah_ there!” The other alpha grabbed him, both now veering dangerously between tangibly aggressive and frantic with terror for their mates at each other’s hands. “He’s safe, he’s safe she means him no harm brother. I swear.”

James’ only response was a snarl as he threw the other man off and breathed heavily, stuck.

He didn’t know this pair, they had his Q. _They had his Q_. The other alpha had his hands raised now on the defensive as James’ muscles tensed and his face tightened in rage.

“Q is she close to you?”

“V-very.” Came the slightly meek, confused but not overtly worried reply.

_Damn. Damn_! He could get through the other man now, he had no doubt. But he didn’t know what the omega would do in response and she was near his Q-

There was a wail and Q squawked a bit and the sound of frantic scurrying, some yelps. Not Q’s but-

“If you don’t calm down, I’m gonna have to take you out.” The other alpha was gearing up again at his mate’s distress even in the face of James’ ferality.

“My _mate_ -“ James’ words were barely human and soon choked off into a growl.

“I’ll get him I-“

“ _DON’T TOUCH HIM_!” His roar shook the cavern with echoes and even the other alpha in his own territory stepped back, looking ashen but determined.

“James wait, _James_!” Q’s tight, fear-strangled voice from his own mate-worry and the storm of scents going on managed to pause him. A beautifully familiar, trembling set of hands and head poked itself out from around the corner. Q looked sick with having to pass such a tightly-strung, unknown alpha so close and James’ heart jerked for him.

At the sight of the omega the other alpha wisely and thankfully backed up as much as he could with the wall behind him, giving Q’s cowering-crawling and whimpering form as much room as possible to escape without coming too close. James’ own growl kept constant and desperate and coaxing as he dropped to his knees and opened arms, Q crawled and pounced the rest of the distance to curl tightly into his chest.

Both breathed hard as they pressed impossibly close together and nuzzled to desperately transfer scent. Giving in to instinct James bit into Q’s neck, keeping his eyes on alert and growling a warning at the female omega poking her own head around the corner with an odd, distressed whine. Q relaxed somewhat at the pressure on his neck, shuddering and huffling out some unsteady breaths as he calmed down.

“So, that’s what it’s meant to be like then.” James caught the other alpha’s eyes, frowning at the tides of sorrow and pain running through otherwise quite warm irises.

“The name’s Felix Leiter. And I s’pose the two of you might as well come in, if you want to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This picture was abnormally difficult :/ And I'm not convinced of Felix's coat... Win some lose some!
> 
> On the subject to characters, I know Felix/Severine isn't anywhere near canon, but she was the only character I could stand to put through the ringer so much out of the remaining unused females, given that she's already pretty traumatised in the film. Saying that, twisting her further than she was in the film felt a bit cruel on hie character, but she was the only choice. Somewhat hypocritically for all that I seem to adore tortouring Q I don't enjoy writing or reading the same happening to women. Perhaps that's one of the joys of the Omegaverse, that it allows for that degree of separation onto another gender/sex...  
> ANYWAY! Enough rambling.  
> Felix was also an interesting character to put in this, and I like his somewhat pained bond with Severine. Why Mangnussen was involved as a pack leader I'm not sure, but I think we all love to hate him yes? ;D
> 
> A BAZILLION! Yes, that's right, a BIZILLION thank yous to all those reading, commenting and kudosing this story. It's gone to dark places that I wasn't sure I could lure people to follow me into but I'm overjoyed that people are enjoying this story (whether in spit of or thanks to said angst!) Consider yourselves a huge part of my continued writing and general flails of delight.  
> Till next time folks!


	10. Care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Howdy partners,  
> Normal chapter warnings apply for this chapter, mentions of violence and non-con.

[](http://imgur.com/rSi0zM4)

 

\---

 

James couldn’t wrap his head around the whole concept of Felix Leiter. Here he was, a man whose guilt shone through just as clearly as his devotion. It wasn’t quite love, that wasn’t the right word. There was too much pain there when he looked at his mate.

Somewhat against better judgement they had gone into the man’s den. A sense of necessity and morbid curiosity driving them back in as the broken female omega in the room whined for Q’s presence to come back, closer. She must have been beautiful once, still could be, if she wasn’t so sunken and wild. She didn’t show the same desire for closeness towards Felix that Q did as they sat together in the circular, small-ish den. Q was practically in James’ lap, both still wary, and showed no sign of moving anywhere. Content curled in the cross of James’ legs. Severine was wrapped around her children. Two children. Of two and four years, if Bond were to guess. The youngest, an alpha, looked like he’d barely come out of his pup-months, the elder, an omega, was curled suspiciously around his mother. The woman was muttering nonsense and madness into their young ears and it set Bond on edge but neither child appeared afraid.

Felix himself sat to the side of the den, conspicuously devoid in touching his mate. Something James couldn’t think not to do with another alpha present.

“Mama whose that?”

“Shh shh my tiny one, my precious one.”

“He smells like mama.” The omega insisted. “Like me.”

“Shush my flower petal. They’re not taking you away my littlest. You’re brother will defend you yes he will yes my _bravest_ -”

James turned away from the almost painful display. Something that should be warming, loving, inspiring, a mother and pups, looked…not grotesque but certainly uncomfortable. There was no denying the horrors that had driven her to talk to her children like that, pulling them almost painfully close as if to squeeze them into a safe world of her own creation.

“-won't be bad like those bad bad alphas or your father-“

Felix turned away, pained, and James couldn’t help the shaking in his hands, finding them slipping down to hold Q’s belly as the omega stared on as if transfixed. The other alpha didn’t miss his movement.

“Are you-?” Leiter nodded at Q’s stomach and the omega glanced down at himself, James’ hand protectively over his potentially full belly and blushed, looking away.

“Don’t know.” James replied gruffly. He pulled Q just a little closer and the woman opposite him gasped a harsh bark and shoved her children behind her.

“No no! Hurt him, _hurting him_!”

“Shush, shush,” Felix was instantly trying to soothe, difficult as his mate tried to lean around his bulk to keep eyes on the other pair. He only gave her the barest of touches and that seemed to sooth her slightly… from a snarl into a whine at least.

“You can’t let him, _Felix_ -“

“They’re alright, Sevy, there’s no one hurt here-“

“ _BABY NO_!” The tiny, curious omega pup who had strayed around his parents and was stumbling closer to James and Q paused, halfway. Evidently the child had halted at his mother’s shriek and now seemed stuck, afraid and confused as his mother’s pheromones rose to terror-struck levels.

Felix was having to try and hold her off from clawing through him, her baby trapped between two alphas but she was out of control. The baby alpha pup was cowering in tearful confusion in a corner and starting to whine for help. The omega in the middle was no better and James was about to pull them out of the den to try and ease the situation when Q whined low in his throat and darted off James’ lap.

Curling around the scared-dumb pup like a protective cloud Q bundled up the small creature best he could and held him close. Severine stilled, breathing harsh and eyes blown wide. James remained frozen with an arm outstretched for Q, but dammit again his omega had gotten himself into a position where James could do more harm than good by approaching.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” Q murmured, voice slightly singsong if fraught with nerves, and started shifting on his knees closer to the pair. James watched with his heart in his throat as Q ducked under Felix’s outstretched arm, restraining his mate’s frozen talons and carefully unravelled from around the pup.

The whimpering body was now clinging to Q, face pressed into his stomach and James didn’t wonder if it was because he smelt a lake calmer than his mother.

Before his eyes Severine seemed to start deflating a bit, eyes still wild and breath ragged pants. As her arms lowered though she seemed to remember her restraints and jerked. Felix let go swifter than lightning, but only backed away very slowly.

“You alright?” He asked of Q, who was breathing a little hard but otherwise seemed ok, one hand resting a little shakily but firmly on the pup’s side as it remained cowered.

From the corner whimpering grew stronger and James saw Q’s eyes flicker over there briefly.

“Its okay, come on, Mama’s okay.” Came that same, so strange yet calming little up and down lilt that sounded to James a bit like Q’s howl. He liked it. He’d like it better without the lacing of fear though. Severine was still frozen, though now her eyes flickered from Felix to Q with her pups, as if fearing for her life to move towards them.

James had little doubt as to why. The thought left a bad taste in his mouth.

Slowly Q turned his pup-holding hand palm-up on the little omega’s back and softened his voice further as he coaxed again.

“Come on brave thing, it’s okay,” Uncurling by increments, the baby slowly crawled over and shoved his face into Q’s stomach as well, shivering next to his calmer brother. Q’s gaze turned a bit nervously to the older omega, holding his hands by the pups as if to hand them over.

“ _Safer there_.” Severine hissed, harried, eyes flying around the room with a sickened twist to her mouth. “Can’t move or they’re-“

“You’re safe too,” Q tried soothing, same quiet tone, reaching a hand out to her. James tried to control his scent, all the while still preparing to spring, Felix seemed to be in the same position, eyes flicking between the other alpha and his family marooned near Q.

“James,” The alpha’s blonde head jerked up into a more attentive, less-lethal position at his mate’s soft questioning call. “Could you move back please?”

To say James’ voice caught in his throat was possibly praising his choked noise of shock too highly. Severine and Felix looked equally stunned that Q would even suggest such a thing.

But the tense line of Q’s back was telling him more than his mate’s deceptively calm tone. The omega didn’t know if he’d asked too much, worse, he didn’t know if James would listen to him. It wasn’t a test so much, Q was trying to rectify the situation in any the only way he could. But it was a show of trust.

Q trusting that James would move away, James trusting Q’s judgment. By listening to his mate in that moment, James wasn’t only proving the strength of their relationship and mutual respect… they were giving Q control of the situation, and therefore showing Severine that alphas could control _themselves_.

Without saying a word, and half praying that Q _did_ know what he was doing, James nodded and slowly shifted to crouch back by a couple of meters. The woman was holding her breath, the pups’ eyes stunned.

“Leiter, you too, please.” This time Q’s voice _was_ stressed, if respectful. James he had a bond with, but the omega had no control or hold on this other alpha.

Felix however, seemed so stunned that he acquiesced almost without pause, though he did move slowly. Finally, Q turned back to Severine, who looked as blindsided and wary as anyone else.

“See, it’s okay. We’re safe, _here_.” The words were less lyrical this time, more steadfast, and Q extended his un-pup holding arm once more as the children looked at their mother too, beseechingly.

It took mere moments, face changing from twitching caught-prey fear to some nearly as painful shatter, and she was moving. James was shocked at the speed she dashed into Q with, something childlike coming over her features to make her seem the age she truly was, not what fate had twisted her into.

Q caught her pounce wordlessly and wrapped his free arm around as the other omega spidered around and clung onto him. Shuddering breaths caught the walls but the scents calmed dramatically.

Despite their mother’s distress, the two pups were now only too eager to hold onto her as it became less manic, more tired, shared.

Personally, James was still astounded by _Q’s_ scent. Although still unsure, it was as if all the warm, calm, soothingness in the world was emanating from his omega. It made him want to move closer, yet content to stay.

After all, Severine plainly needed the kind, self-allowed touch more than anyone else in the den. And it was near silently that the two omegas held on to each other. By the way Q’s nose was buried in her neck as she nuzzled his cheek, hair obscuring their faces, both of their hands clutching tightly at each other, James didn’t doubt that Q was soaking up the comfort of his own kin equally.

For wolves who hadn’t smelt a collection of omegas in near enough a decade, the experience was a little staggering.

Near to him now, Felix sunk to lean against the wall with a long breath out, eyes similarly fixed on the pair across the room.

“I’ve never even smelt… I tried for years but I just couldn’t give this peace to her.” James scoffed at that. Everyone knew just how the last Run went. The omega, Severine, had been taken within hours, hidden away and claimed. The following day another alpha had killed her first and claimed his ‘prize’. Felix Leiter, evidently.

“Can’t imagine why.” James drawled out, sarcastic and disgusted. Leiter looked at him sharply. Something about it put his hair on end though he didn’t gratify the other with looking back.

“Tell me something, James. You seem like you think you’re a decent type of guy,” James didn’t deny nor agree with the statement in the man’s hard voice. “If you came across _that one_ ,” and clearly he nodded towards Q, “being abused in all ways and assaulted multiple times by some brute who thought he’d gotten lucky, what would you do?”

Everything in James had tensed. Even his breathing stopped. Not the least at the mere thought, but at the fact that the scene was only too easy to imagine with another omega, any omega involved.

“Would you walk on and pretend it wasn’t every wolf’s duty to protect one another? Or would you do the only thing you could to help.” Leiter took a deep breath and looked back at his mate.

“I don’t count myself a lucky man brother. Not even a good one. But it was my one decent deed, helping her, and I’ve done everything I could to do right by her ever since.”

“…The first one-“

“I killed that bastard.” Felix spat out, viciously, and this time James met his eyes hard, reading into those brown orbs all he could. “He was beating her whilst she was in heat, hurting her. You know what they’re like, she couldn’t understand and couldn’t fight back. I killed him. Did what I had to.”

“You mean bonded with her.” He was insinuating rape, breaking an original bond by killing the first alpha. Even if abusive, an immediate new bonding during the same heat would be torture and confusion. There was no concession or give however in Felix’s point-blank stare. No apologies or excuses.

“When you found him, did he consent to you? Did you give him the weeks he’d need to recover from injuries and adjust to you and choose?” The words hit too close to home. James had done all he could, he knew that. Q knew that, or so he hoped to Lobo. But there was no denying what he’d known at the time. “How long did you wait for him?”

“An hour.” Even to James’ ears his voice was ragged. Felix, neither condemning nor encouraging, just nodded.

“You had to claim him. Severine was in heat. I waited five minutes.”

After the heat they’d just come through, and in fact their first, James couldn’t find the words to blame him. It didn’t make him proud to admit.

“I know I did what I could to save her from something worse. I know it wasn’t selfless and without gain. And I know that pain that eats away at you every day for the rest of your life when you’re bonded to someone who’s afraid of your every touch but neither of you can stay away. So with respect, brother, you can keep your opinions to yourself.”

What could he say to it, when he’d not even seen Q’s abuse first hand in his Run, and still knew he would have done everything he could to help someone in that much agony. Orders or not.

“Duly noted.” He eventually nodded, and Felix did so too, neither of them keeping eye contact any more. James couldn’t stop looking at his mate.

Nothing seemed more cruel in that moment than the image before him of two traumatised omegas holding each other together.

But nothing had seemed stronger, too. James lifted his head with a deep inhale of that wonderful calm, almost peaceful omega scent, and allowed himself the knowledge that this, here, was at least partly thanks to him doing the best he could in hopeless circumstances.

And Q trusted him, and was strong and brave and possibly a little reckless but _trusted_ him. The knowledge left him dizzily broken, but the feeling of knowing that filled him with joy.

Even here, today, they seemed to have helped.

Maybe they could stop this war after all.

-00Q00-

They stayed, the four of them, in that den for some time. More time than Q ever thought he’d be comfortable with.

Severine didn’t really speak, and neither did he, but he did brush her hair when just being close left him too much room to think.

Even in the peace that had descended there was a pit of nausea in his stomach that wouldn’t let up. The pups came alive after a while, as they should.

He’d always enjoyed watching the betas’ pups in the pack back home, when he’d returned from the mountains everyone had been only too keen to throw him in with the young creatures. It wasn’t like he was ever allowed to go on proper hunts, and everyone trusted omegas to have some innate pup-know-how that would keep young things safe. Never mind that Q often didn’t have a clue what he was doing.

He just liked that the pups seemed to genuinely like _him_ , and that they found him soothing, rather then arousing like the adults in the pack. Attention that was far too much for a pre-maturity wolf.

Here with these children, he felt the same. They scampered around and thankfully weren’t afraid of their father or mother, and the little alpha pup kept asking him for belly rubs. They were also transfixed at the transformation of their mother’s hair from wild tangles into something a little more smooth.

James and Felix were talking, still on the other side of the room, where Q had ‘put’ them, and Severine lost unbelievable amounts of tension at the mere sight of someone else being able to maintain a protective space for her.

Being near to another omega for the first time since he was a pup himself, was both very strange and very wonderful. The pressure-less aspect of it was deeply relaxing even if nothing else was.

“When you met him. Did he hurt you?” Severine’s low, surprisingly smooth and serpentine voice, was like melted honey compared to her screams. Q looked up, wondering if Felix had ever heard the soft tones. Hoping he’d given her reason to.

“No. Not in any way he could avoid.” She leant back, eyes scanning him.

“Will he save you?” From what, Q didn’t know. Did she truly understand about the war, or did she mean from hurt, from other alphas?

“I expect we’ll save each other.” He managed, thinking that that was what they’d done so far. James hadn’t let him down, and he’d tried to be brave in return. A strange, toothed smile twitched dark lips for a moment, contemplative.

“Maybe you will.”

They left not long after that, Severine huddled her pups down for a nap and James stood, backwards slightly, eyes on Q. He was more than ready to go, to be with his mate again and away from this confusing den. Although he was glad they had braved it.

“See you then, brother, omega.” Leiter hadn’t used Q’s name once, just as he wouldn’t use the man’s first. Perhaps it was a sign of respect from him.

Long fingers grabbed Q’s hand briefly, his eyes meeting the other omega’s as he stood, and they drifted apart. There was nothing appropriate to say that he could think of. Instead he turned and walked calm as he could past the other alpha back to James, though even that sent his heart thumping.

Pressed into each other’s sides, the pair waited just until they were around two corners and down a hall, walking fast, before collapsing into the need to hold each other.

“Lobo Q, you nearly killed me in there. But you weren’t half impressive.” Q was too busy rubbing his face across every inch of James’ chest and neck he could reach to reply for a moment. Strong arms lifted him closer and higher until James could bite into his throat firmly. Whimpering a bit and mouthing his alpha’s neck as the stress caught up with him, Q felt the shakes descend.

“James, I-“ His knees sagged and sent them toppling back a step until James caught them both steadily.

“Shh, I’ve got you,”

“I’m so glad I’ve got you.” Q’s voice remained steady but he couldn’t help the overwhelming, confusing myriad of relief and tension from dizzying him. James growled something desperate and wanting at his words and held Q close for a moment.

“Here, hold on.” In a few swift moves James had bent and curled his arms around Q’s shoulders and under knees, scooping him into a close lift. Almost cradled against his chest. Q, face now pressed into James’ neck, wriggled a bit unsurely.

“James-“

“No. You’re mine. I want to hold you.” For some reason the petulancy in his mate’s voice soothed Q.

“You great big alpha you.” He murmured, curling himself affectionately closer now, relaxing into the protective, warm safety and James’ pleased purr-like rumble.

“You’re the perfect one gorgeous.” And James nuzzled him and nosed his chin back briefly to mouth and bite under Q’s jaw until he felt tranquil and secure. It wasn’t something they did often outside of the two heats they’d shared, but Q was surprised by just how soothing he found James’ easy strength and constant protectiveness to be.

Besides, other than last night, which he couldn’t remember for having fainted, it had at least been a month since James had last carried him. So Q supposed he didn’t mind it too much…

Or maybe he wasn’t quite ready to admit just yet how much he actually enjoyed it.

There was something in being valued enough to be carried whenever he needed it, combined with being respected enough and trusted to act on his own strength and instinct that left Q feeling like somehow he had caught the moon in his jaws as a prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I had too much fun with this weeks picture. Puppies! Yes! Indulgence!]
> 
> Thank you for commenting kudosing and enjoying, I hope you continue to! We're heading towards the end now... not in sight yet but getting there. Makes me bit sad somehow!
> 
> Have a good week and see you next Monday n_n


	11. Plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry this is a day late, yesterday had to become a salvage attempt for sanity. I did feel bad putting off uploading this but here it be now!

[](http://imgur.com/QEiEFdd)

 

\---

 

It had been a week since they’d last been to the main cavern. James had taken him back to their den on the mountain where they’d packed to move once more with Alec’s assistance.

Q had cried that night; James holding him tightly and the omega didn’t understand how the man could be so strong. How he could be everything Q needed and MI6 needed and not break down at the thought of war.

“I’ve lived through danger before Q, we both have, but I lost the right to cry years ago.” He hadn’t known what to say to that, but vaguely remembered shouting at James that everyone deserved to be able to cry before promptly doing so with greater volume than he’d known was possible. James had held him again and Q had apologised whilst his mate told him not to, but Q couldn’t help crumbling even whilst he tried to stand tall.

Alec had come by the next day, tentatively, with bags full of what looked like spider webs and needles and an apologetic expression.

“Sorry Q, we need your scent spread all over the mountain.” James had growled and Q had taken a moment to understand before flushing with something akin to shame.

“I understand. It’s alright.” Because he might be cracking under the pressure but this was about more than him. James, however, was sent growling and tugging Q close with his quiet murmur, guiding him away from Alec’s pained expression for a moment.

“No, no don’t think like that. We have to do this, that’s all. We’re in this together.” Q nodded shakily. And good thing James had suggested it too, because although Alec had brought some scented herb, that was meant to stimulate him, and they sent it to burning in one of the side-dens, waiting near the narrowing, Q couldn’t get his body to cooperate. Fluctuating as an omega’s libido ever did when stressed. Not quite humiliated but getting there he crept back into the main den.

“James, I can’t… I need you.” The alpha was on his feet and away from needling the spider webs in seconds. Alec averted his gaze and continued his work with a quiet curse.

“It’s alright, gorgeous. We’ll do this together, right?”

Back in the separate den having James there helped, both of them touching each other and panting quietly as they rocked on the furs. Q kept his face buried in the muscle of James’ shoulder and pretended he wasn’t close to crying again. But that was okay, because his mate’s hand shook as he changed one damp scrap of bedding for a fresh one to press against Q’s barely-wet thighs.

Eventually it got easier, kissing each other and clinging and just spreading the scent as much as they could.

Alec had lined up bags for them to deposit the soiled bedding in and had moved outside by the time they were finished. And Q could tell he wasn’t the only one who felt off-kilter at the duty-like performance they had just done.

After that they packed up their short-lived den and left what memories they’d made there behind.

The plan was to dot scraps of Q and James’ scent –but primarily Q’s as that would be more attractive- across the mountainside in various dens.

“They moved the other omega and her mate and pups out last night after dark. They can’t ask the same of her, and with the pups… but if they stay where they are and the main den is breached they’re sitting ducks.” Alec told them, and the grim words seemed to settle Q’s nausea and anxiety into a cold acceptance and dread. This was war. This was what they were going to have to deal with. Whether he was young or not, fair or not, this was going to happen. He might as well be prepared as he could be.

The idea was that no wolves would know exactly what den Q was in, but probably couldn’t afford not to thoroughly check any that smelt of him, considering where he and James were going would hopefully be almost devoid of any scent. Those selected dens were then going to be hampered with traps to eliminate as many enemy wolves as could break through the initial lines at the main pack slope.

No one but the three of them, and M, knew which den the pair would truly be in.

They had, in fact, not picked one at the very top of the mountain, as that seemed too obvious, and strategically could leave them cornered, but the accessibility was remote and the den was nearly impossible to spot. First though, came the fake-dens.

Q scattered and spread the bedding, trotted around to spill his scent around the surrounding rocks and trampled down the entrance snow, rolling to pack it as if it had been used, all the while occasional hairs slipped from his coat to help mask the deception. James and Alec strung up the finest strands of the thin-thin thread, glint of needles hidden in the dark. A wolf that charged in would be snared and unable to move for pain.

“What if they go in slowly, dismantle it?” Q questioned and Alec growled a bit in frustrated impotence.

“We’ve not got a lot of choice.” Q contemplated the thought all the way to the soft floor of the next den.

“…Broken bones hurt as much as skewers.” He near-whispered, voice dark at the mere suggestion as he looked at the ground. The alphas’ eyes were wide on him as he started to dig, and they hurriedly helped.

Pit-fall traps were something Q had toyed with whilst he and Sherlock considered how lone wolves could hunt down large prey with cunning instead of brawn. James made the nasty little genius thought of putting dug-in knives at the bottom.

They continued through the array of scape-dens with snares, trip-lines and de-stabilised rock traps. Anything the three of them could think of to hamper or kill their approaching enemies. The plotting and darkly witted traps left bad tastes in all of their mouths, and they worked through it in silence. The cold-blooded planning of murder wasn’t something any of them had envisioned for _after_ the horrors of The Run.

“That’ll do it, do you think?” Alec postulated as the three of them stood staring up at the slope of death they’d created.

“It’ll be enough.” James growled.

“It’ll have to be.” Q tacked on, the swirling wind rising up to cover their tracks and lay a veil of white over their deceptions.

-00Q00-

Their new den was a brazenly loveless place. It was entirely conceived from necessity, and James could just about respect it for that. Inside the round stone curve was just enough room for James and Q to stand at the same time and turn around. Its function was defence, but it left them both feeling cold. The two exits were barely perceivable. One concealed itself between two slats of ice-wall, up a challenging glacier slope that was so nearly sheer it appeared impregnable. The other was a tight tunnel drop the height of two men and only just beyond a wolf’s width. That dropped down into a rock outcropping and was impossible to climb up, only good for a bolthole.

Worst came to worst, Q could escape from there and he’d be in a fairly good position to run anywhere that looked vaguely safe or defended. There would be news being howled around either way.

The battle would probably be loud enough.

But the place came at a price.

“Mm. Grim.” Q commented dryly, dispassionately, as he walked a tight circle in the den and then sat and lay down. James fought back the urge to growl, knowing that Q had been holding it together like a taught string all day and he didn’t want to snap it. His mate was doing well beyond what James could have hoped, after a probably needed breakdown the nigh before, and now he could barely provide for the younger man.

There was no fur. The den was cold as ice. They had to have the blandest-scented of all foods to hide their presence. No lights. No fire. Even if this den would save them, James couldn’t help the scathing feelings of failure. He moved in, followed Q’s tread around the miniscule space and flopped down next to the omega.

Q immediately curled into his warmth, nose tucking between James’ paws and ruff. The alpha curled his neck to rest his head over Q’s and huffed out raggedly.

“It’s okay, we can manage it.” Q murmured, muffled, voice soothing but on the edge of distressed. James just brought them closer and tried not to shout his rage to the sky.

It wasn’t okay. Q deserved better than this, and now James could barely provide for him. Especially if Q was… if he was pregnant then this was a situation beyond endurance, surely.

Insecurity and not a little panic starting to swirl uncomfortably in his gut, James leant closer still and prepared to wait out the night whilst they both pretended they could sleep.

-00Q00-

After nearly a week in the sub-den, as they had jokingly and not-quite affectionately termed it, Q felt as though any previous comfort on his skin had been stripped away and replaced with iron rods of tension. His constant bouts of trembling or tensing had left his muscles stiff and knotted. James was little better, and Q was starting to wonder how they’d manage a fight for that alone if it came down to it. They were hardly in peak condition.

Their preparations had somewhat soothed Q, and having to remain in wolf form for the cold at least meant his senses were always at the top of his game. Though he missed James’ actual hands viscerally and the warm press of skin that fur barred. His glasses, so precious in his skin and hanging loyally on the chain round his neck, were getting stone scratches.

The plan seemed secure, and sounded like it stood a chance of victory. But of course that largely hanged off of the attacking pack’s numbers. And more than that; whether any, or how many, of the resident MI6 and 5 alphas would also join the throng when the time came. Therefore increasing the enemy’s numbers, whilst leaving the defence depleted.

And no matter their current safety, Q couldn’t stop thinking about Mycroft. His dreams hadn’t improved and hardly helped the daily flashes of his brother in pain and humiliation. The fact that he couldn’t do anything to assist the eldest in their so small family, and that Mycroft had been on his way to him… And so painfully awfully close, left Q whining and tight-chested in fits every time he thought on it too much. He had no way of knowing how either brother was getting on.

Consideration of the unknowable was something they had tried for the last few days to alternatively avoid and discuss. By now, they had gotten pretty good at mostly avoiding the worst of conversations. 

“How long do you think it is till spring?” Q asked, absently one mid-day. The wind was throwing ice outside as he lounged on his back, hind legs waving vaguely in the air and front paws tucked. Q watched his furred cream toes weaving around in the air for a lack of anything else to do. Blanca they were both bored. James, who’d been continuing with his new hobby of attempting to scratch their names into the stone floor with his claws, stood with a long stretch.

“Not sure,” the words were distorted by a yawn and Q looked over, legs flumping back to the ground as his alpha moved over to him. “Must be about January, early to mid January.”

“About two months then.” They nosed and nuzzled for a moment before James flopped down lethargically and dropped his head to rest on Q’s belly, licking his lips to settle. The omega breathed a deep breath to feel the weight of James shifting, and gently swung his back legs up into the air again. Both of them watched his paws wobbling for a while.

“So… my next heat would be late March then.” Q announced, a little nervously. James’ eyes swung to him with a heated look of surprise, Q’s fur ruffling under his head as it turned to him. “Just as a thought.” Q shrugged, licking his lips a little anxiously. James’ reaction had the advantage of comforting him slightly, because really he’d been thinking less savoury thoughts.

If it all went to pot then… were he and James separated… Q shuddered and hid it as a leg twitch. That was a long time to be un-bonded and at the mercy of other wolves without the protection of a claim.

Regardless of his attempted nonchalance, James must have read something in his eyes.

“And we’ll get to enjoy it without me worrying that you’re going to freeze or starve for once.” The alpha joked, succeeding in lightening the mood. They’d both complained about freezing and starving enough in the sub-den. “That is unless…”

Q lifted his head up to look at James, awkwardly.

“What?” The alpha gulped, Q felt the throat movement, and his blue eyes looked tentative.

“Unless you’re pregnant.” Q’s legs froze in their wobbling at the careful suggestion. Clearly they’d both considered it after all.

_Of course he has_. Q berated himself a moment later. _Even Alec was sniffing for that and James was with me all heat_. Q’s own heat-thoughts hadn’t gone as far as pups, or pregnancy… they’d all been firmly fixed on ‘penis’. Of course for James it would be different. He must have thought about it more than Q since as well. The omega now remembered the upswing in touches to his stomach… his slightly soft stomach. Though still flat.

Thing was, although there had been a couple of mentions of it here and there in the last few days, they hadn’t talked to each other about the possibility. Partly Q supposed because there was no way of knowing. But all things considered…

James was watching him closely, a little nervous himself.

“I’d be two weeks along…” He calculated, quietly. James’ responding tense and widening eyes, blown-black eyes, the deep, sharp sniff, told him pretty much what he needed to know. “That would, would you, are you…”

“Lobo its terrible timing Q but I’d be bloody ecstatic. Even if it was earlier than I’d have thought.” The tension left Q in a thump of both relief and shock.

“You’re right. And it’s not just our situation, it’s a terrible time for pups too.” Q worried. James came up to nose him around his flopped-back head, ears pressed into the ground.

“Hey, hey we’ll get through it, gorgeous. We don’t even know if you are pregnant… Do you want not to be?” The words seemed a challenge to even get out. Pregnancy, no matter the situation and especially in these times, was almost unanimously seen as a blessing. After all carrying any number of pups and then raising them was enough of a trouble without being upset at the mere conception of them. But their situation was somewhat different, and he felt very young all of a sudden.

“I don’t know, its… If it has happened, I wish it wouldn’t be now…” For so many reasons.

“The weather will make it a challenge.” James admitted, rolling Q over onto his side and licking his face, one paw draped over his flank. It was as close to a hug as they could easily get.

“And even if it was warm enough for me to shift, this den, the food we’re having to eat,”

“It’s not good for them. And you need to be shifting between forms regularly.” James finished, licking between Q’s ears soothingly.

Wolves had been having pups since before Lobo and Blanca crossed over the mountains. But over the many many years it had gotten somewhat easier. Or at least, everyone had learnt what the often warring maternal and survival brains were trying to hint.

Pregnancies in spring or summer caused few problems. It was easy to shift between forms and there was plenty of food. But in the winter it was more of a challenge to be carrying pups.

Q would be pregnant for about five months, and the first three of those, some of the fourth for as long as he could manage it, should be spent shifting between skin and fur. The mere thought left him feeling a bit squirmy; never having considered the concept too fully before now. Pups shifted along with their pregnant mother, so when Q was in his fur, they would be wolves, and vice versa. Ideally he would shift and hold form for a few days before shifting back, giving the pups the best chance to settle into their new bodies. This would go on up until as near to Q’s fifth month as he could make it, but depending on how many pups there were he’d soon be too heavy to manage them as human babies and would likely spend the last month as a rather gravid wolf, unable to change back.

In winter it was harder to change forms due to the cold, and especially in a freezing mountain den like this the only hope Q had was in his fur. That wouldn’t harm the pups initially, but when he then finally did manage to change into his skin it would be a huge shock to both his system and also to theirs; unused to shifting as they were.

Pups got lost that way, or could end up deformed or mentally afflicted when born due to too much wolf-development and not enough human. Similarly there would be problems if one stayed human the whole time.

“I wonder how many of them there are.” James mumbled, paw skirting gently over Q’s belly and grumbling a little as he clearly wanted to be able to hold it with a hand instead.

“If any.” Q added, trying to keep them both practical half for the sake of his own sanity. Possibly right now there were quite a few… there was such a high drop off rate in pregnancies that often a few lost pups along the way weren’t uncommon. Often it wasn’t even noticed if they were lost very young, during the first month.

The idea of many little things growing in his belly…

“Shh, there is one good thing to all this.” James began, and Q glanced at him, askance, his wriggling had probably seemed quite upset. And with the threat of other wolves, who might hurt him or unborn pups, or if the worst happened and their bond was broken, another wolf might kill any young pups that weren’t theirs when they were born to bring Q back into heat faster.

Right now it was hard to think of an upside when even living where they were whilst pregnant was dangerous to both Q and any pups’ survival, let alone the other alphas. James met his eyes with firm confidence and assurance that quelled his worry slightly.

“If you are pregnant, more of them wont want you. It will make our bond smell stronger than some of them can fight for.”

“…Oh.” Q whispered, slightly amazed at that thought. But of course, it was true… and especially if he was pregnant, he was more ‘valuable’ than ever… Especially if they could keep him healthy enough to have lots, there was some incentive in that.

Loath though he was to give into the image of the breeding bitch that some alphas considered omegas, if it kept him safe, _them_ safe, then he’d happily let them think whatever they will.

After all, he and James would always know the truth for themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..I'm sure there's something vaguely intelligent or that I meant to say but I've forgotten! Please ask if you've any questions on pregnancy and pups in this verse, I'm not sure if I explained it very well but hopefully the jist is there.
> 
> In random info James is by far the simplest wolf to colour, and Q is the easiest to draw.
> 
> With that I hope you enjoyed, thank you for kudos and wonderful comments and see you next week!


	12. Prepare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So now this is a Tuesday kinda show I guess!  
> Well regardless of that, enjoy :)

[](http://imgur.com/8wnidAG)

 

\---

 

Unable to stand the thought of risking the health of his potential future pups, James came to a decision the afternoon after they’d discussed the possibility of pregnancy for the first time.

Q couldn’t stay here unable to change, that much was certain. They’d had no more news from the forest and for a week now they’d been in fur and on meagre rations. At this rate not only were they damaging the possibility of their offspring but they were damaging their chances of survival if things came down to a fight. He argued it his way a bit with the consideration that they ought to get to know their escape routes as it was, but there was little he needed persuading about.

“Come on, if anything happens we’ll just come right back. You need to shift and we both need warmth and food.” Given that Q was a little reluctant to fully consider himself pregnant with circumstances as they were, James thought it wise to suggest they both needed the extra food and warmth. Certainly it wouldn’t hurt either of them.

Looking like he understood James’ motivations only too well, and equally unwilling to harm the chances of any pups there may or may not be, Q agreed with only a slightly wary look.

“We’ll be careful.” James assured, and Q nodded a little, standing and shaking himself onto four paws a bit unsteadily. For the alpha that was proof enough that they needed more than he could provide up here. Leading the way to the drop-exit of their den James prepared himself for the sharp drop down and then turned to help Q if needed after the jarring landing.

Two cream paws edged down the sides of the shaft to try and lessen the drop-height before Q gave in to the inevitable and jumped down. He landed in a bit of a crunch given the small space, not too much worse than James had but wincing more. Going over and nuzzling his mate James checked the smaller wolf over briefly, nosing his flank and ruff until Q gave him a reassuring yip and nibble.

Together they trotted out into the stormy snow, nearly blown apart for the strength of it. Q let out a joyful little whine and dashed forwards a bit to leap into the air, wind somehow catching at him and carrying him further. James ran to keep up, keeping his own paws firmly grounded and swiftly did a circle around Q as if to herd him safely down.

Laughing at him gently Q did a small play bow and danced around before leaping off. James growled but grinned as he chased after for a moment, both of them enjoying the freedom and space to stretch after a week cooped up. Q soon bounded into a snow bank and rolled ecstatically for a while. Pouncing gently around him and woofing slightly James launched the lick offensive and tumbled Q in the snow.

Panting they settled for a minute, James taking the time to place his paws over Q’s legs and shoulders and lick at his eye patches for a while. He’d been doing that a lot this week, it seemed to help soothe them both in the sub-den where comforts were few and far between. Now Q’s tail lashed happily against the ground and he seemed to murmur and purr in pleasure as the larger wolf thoroughly licked him.

The breather seemed to be what they’d needed to go on without so much dread in their hearts. Or maybe it was worse now, but just better hidden. The threat of loosing each other seemed worse to James with every passing day, but for now he had to focus on the present.

“Come on, not far now.” Q stood up and shook off snow and trotted along willingly.

As it turned out the shorter distance was a gift from Lobo. The wind was picking up ice shards and freezing their fur stiff by the time they got close to the main den. They weren’t far off when their progress was disturbed in a burst of snow.

“Stop! State your purpose- oh, it’s you two.” Ros Myers, who had been perfectly concealed by the snow in her white wolf form, stopped in front of the pair of them as James forced tense muscles to relax from where he’d bodily blocked Q from view.

“What are you doing here, Q?” Lucas, somehow he’d hidden himself too despite his black coat, using the rocks for cover. The female alpha looked over at her companion who was squinting at Q. James turned to his mate as well. Q was shivering, looked to be coming down from a fright and was seemingly drooping where he stood.

_Too tense for this, and we’ve not had nearly enough to eat in this cold. Lobo if we had been cornered up there…_ James gulped, not feeling entirely steady himself, and steadied his gait before he shifted closer to Q. He couldn’t afford to stumble and show any weakness. The problem was, it was just too cold to live off the sort of food they’d had to at the end of The Run, but in the sub-den that was what they’d had to have to minimise any scent being traced back to them.

“Q?” James nuzzled him encouragingly under the chin and Q whined a bit before stepping closer with a little stumble to lean against James, the wind whipping around them.

“You know the main den isn’t safe under attack.” Ros called over the wind, though there wasn’t any true annoyance in her tone.

“I can’t keep him up there and healthy, at this rate we’ll be too weak to fight off an attack. Two nights, maybe three in the main den, then we can go back.”

“It seemed like madness to send you up so high in this weather, even Harry can’t remember a winter that got bad this quickly.” Lucas agreed, looking concerned for the pair of them.

“And you didn’t have much food either. Hardly great accommodation for pregnancy and pupping. Come on, we’ll walk you in, the entrances have been changed.” Ros cut straight to the point of what every wolf would be thinking as Q shifted a bit in embarrassment. James didn’t bother to correct her that they didn’t know yet. The more wolves and alphas in both their pack and beyond that thought Q was pregnant the better their survival chances.

“Thank you.” Following his courteous reply James nudged Q a bit into motion and they both headed after the light and dark figures before them. The omega kept pace fairly well, but clearly had mixed feelings about being back in the main den.

Still, anything was better than the freezing hole they’d come from.

At least in food terms.

-00Q00-

“Alright, we’ll put you here. I imagine your M will want a word though.” Ros announced, pushing aside a thick hanging fur that led to one of several old and unused dens kept secluded and quite near medical. Inside was a heap of warm furs and already Q could feel himself thawing and melting in relief. He hadn’t realised just how cold it was out there.

“We’ll get you some water and food. Try to keep warm.” Lucas added, now changed into his skin and letting the two fur-clad wolves past him before re-setting the drape.

“I’ve never been here before.” James commented idly as he sat and sighed. Q shook out his fur and paused for a moment before shifting into his skin. He wasn’t sure if he could feel a change or was even meant to. Certainly his stomach felt queasy and in knots, but that could have been anything from the stress to the thought of now possibly being responsible for puppies. His stomach didn’t look any different. But then that could be the lack of decent food.

James rumbled a low sound of pleasure and trotted over to lick Q’s exposed belly, whiskers tickling behind the soft brush of fur and the wet sweep of tongue. After a moment the alpha shifted into skin himself and put a cold hand where his tongue had been, turning to meet Q’s eyes.

“Alright?” Q gulped and nodded slightly.

“I think so.”

“Good.” James nuzzled him firmly and nipped at Q’s neck till he shuddered and relaxed into the furs beneath them, letting the alpha coax him down deep into the warmth.

“What is this place?” He murmured, starting to shiver as feeling returned and James slipped into the nest with him, pulling thick furs over them both.

“The old pupping dens. They didn’t get used much, but if there was a winter like this and it was too dangerous for a ready to pup wolf to be in the mountains, or someone pregnant, then they would stay here with their mate until the weather improved.” Q glanced around in renewed interest at that. The thick fur draping that kept in heat and privacy made a lot more sense now, notable in the fact that he’d never seen one in another MI6 den. There was also an area in the small space that was elevated by a natural shelf in the rocks and seemed ready to hold both amenities and a tired mother who wanted to escape the constant clamours of their pups. The quarter-leg high row of stones at the entrance also probably designed to keep curious pups in.

“So much for not assuming anything.” Q reflected mildly. Whether Ros and Lucas were just as smart as James and had worked out the strategic advantage pregnancy would give them, or had simply just guessed out of hope, there was no denying that soon most of the pack would be under the assumption that Q was carrying a litter.

“If we get through this and then we find out I’m not pregnant, do you think they’ll be angry?” Q continued contemplatively. James chuckled beside him, coming to wrap arms around Q and kiss him as they hadn’t been able to do for a week.

“They’ll learn to live with it. And I’ll have you.” The alpha settled, and nuzzled into Q’s drying out hair, pulling them closer. Q didn’t mean to but found himself slipping a hand to touch his own belly, wondering whether the fact that it was soft meant anything at all. With a pang he wondered what Mycroft’s face would look like if he found out Q was pregnant, what Sherlock would do… whether he’d even get to see it now.

“Shh, rest Q. They’ll be back with food soon, and M too no doubt.” That was reason enough to rest while he could, and Q breathed out what of the fear he could whilst settling into James further. He was doing all he theoretically could for his possible-pups right now, the rest of him had to think about the more present danger.

Although when combined with his tension at being in a den surrounded by alphas again, and facing whatever M had to say about them breaking plans, along with his brothers’ danger and even the storm outside… it wasn’t easy to focus much.

And maybe in the midst of all that, although pups would be all but detrimental right now other than their protection value, not that Q wanted to think of it like that, maybe the thought of a family with James was actually the most pleasant thing to think about.

-00Q00-

M had been mildly livid, to say the least. Q had even ducked away whilst she bellowed at James in the path leading up to their den.

“We had a plan! You think I want his scent to lead them in here into our stronghold whether he’s here or not? It will be the first place they go now if they manage to break the ranks!”

“M, he might be pregnant.”

“And he’s not the only one!” M’s snap seemed to stop Bond dead for a moment. “Do you think that I don’t have beta pairs in here expecting as well? This is supposed to be where they’re protected during this fight. Children too! Now _look_ what you’ve gone and _done_!”

The alpha had left them scorned and cowed, already issuing instructions for any families to move further away and wash whilst they did to rid themselves of Q’s residule scent.

“Does she usually loose control like that?” Q asked quietly once things had quieted down slightly.

“No.” James’ grim face and hunched posture left Q gulping. As if the stress of their situation wasn’t enough, James had just been given a timely reminder that his pack was about to pay the price for defending an omega.

Q couldn’t think of anything to say to that, and instead looked away.

“We’ve had nearly a day here. It’s better than nothing. We can go back.” He said instead, speaking quietly to the wall. This pack, although rough around the edges and never what Q had envisioned or even wanted, had given him everything they possibly could. Now they were laying their lives on the line for him. He couldn’t risk their families’ safety on top of that.

“It’s getting dark out.” James rumbled in reply, still not moving. Q risked a glance at him, hating the tension he saw.

“No one watching will see us go that way.” James’ head rose a bit at the observation, and he finally turned to look at Q, a little calmer.

“Sure you can make it back, and the pups, we can ask for more time,” Q placed his hand on James’ and took a deep breath, knowing these next words could cost him.

“This isn’t just us, James. And there may be no pups… Even if there are…” meeting his mate’s eyes hadn’t been this hard since he was first being washed in No Man’s Land. “I wont risk everyone in their name. Or everything.”

There was silence for a moment too long as James looked at him, and Q worried for a split second that he was about to be shouted at for acting like such an abnormal parent. Omegas were meant to care more than that, surely.

“Sometimes I wish you didn’t have brains.” It could have stung worse than it did and Q breathed a sigh of half relief. “Every instinct I have is shouting at me to dote on you whatever the cost.” Q offered a half-smile.

“I promise to let you dote on me as much as you want when the fate of freedom doesn’t hang in the balance.” James growled and pulled him close for a quick bite on the neck that Q whined at slightly.

“I’ll hold you to that. Come on.” Taking the omega’s hand firmly James stood and led them back the way they’d come the night before, out to the main entrance onto the mountain.

-00Q00-

The mountain outside at night was bathed in the red glow of a dying sun and eerie for the lack of wind and wolves. Q shifted into his fur alongside James and they were turned to leave up the winding track to their sub-den when a small commotion from down below disturbed them.

“Stop! State your purpose!”

“Let me through-“

“Who are you? State your purpose!”

“I have important news for the omega, I’m family, John tell them!”

The tangle of Ros, Lucas, Sherlock and a few murmurs from John sounded mad to Q amidst the quiet dusk and he swung to James briefly, wide-eyed. In a moment he was whining and turning to chase the collection of voices down the mountain slightly, heart thumping and James at his shoulder.

“How many times do I have to tell you-“

“Sherlock!” Q’s call broke up the huddle slightly and he ploughed right through the centre of the two alphas to pounce into his brother’s waiting fluff.

“Q, Q its, easy, calm,”

“I thought you could be _dead_ you _twat_!” Q accused, voice breaking slightly as he wriggled and nuzzled ceaselessly against Sherlock in a tangle of limbs and fur. James was soothing the other two alphas behind them and John smelt fairly anxious to the side. Giving in for a moment to his younger brother’s exuberant welcome Sherlock buried his nose deep in Q’s ruff for several breaths before licking his muzzle and then ear with a nip.

“Focus, Q, we don’t have the time.” Pulling himself together and back Q shook snow off his fur and sat back.

“What?”

“You’ve heard about Mycroft?” The sharp question brought all his anger and anxiety back to the forefront of his mind.

“Yes.” His growl along with James’ showed their feelings on the matter.

“We followed them closely, they haven’t got anything out of him. He’s alive.” Sherlock’s assurance at the end after seeing Q’s stricken face left him feeling weak-legged with relief. Neither of the betas’ eyes looked any semblance of reassured.

“They’ve got enough alphas to their cause now, and imagine the betas will fall into line after the fact.” John said swiftly, efficiently stiff. Sherlock looked quickly between James’ eyes to focus on Q.

“They’re coming for you. They’re coming tonight.”

-00Q00-

Things happened fast after John and Sherlock’s news. Ros and Lucas ran to raise the alarm after a brief panic-focused look at each other. The white wolf had taken bare seconds to order James and Q to get back up-slope. John had rushed forwards and almost apologetically hurried to check Q over to satisfy his own worry. The medical beta even gave James a swift sniff or two as well.

Sherlock nosed Q’s tense form once more to get him moving, James copying from the other side, and announced that they’d go to M and offer her any information they could. That they wanted to check in with Lestrade and the remainder of his pack too.

With that and a brief coded howl being reflected up and down the mountain to show that they were battle-ready the pair were off back to their hidden den.

After what seemed a laborious climb through winding and steep paths, and a final push up the ice slope outside their den in the cliff, James and Q sat curled together tightly, both shivering just a little in anticipation and adrenaline.

Outside the wind was starting to pick up again slightly, shrouding their paw prints in a powdery veil as if Lobo and Blanca were lending them their support.

“We’ll be alright Q. I’ve got you.”

Eyes wide and nose buried in his mate’s fluff, Q whined slightly and hoped with every fibre of his being that James, his brave, steadfast James, was right.

The wait was over now. The wolves would make it up the mountain by morning.

By this time tomorrow, they’d all know their fate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week's picture is one of my favourites, its all red and glowy!  
> Ahem, anyway, battle stations for next week guys! And at the risk of spoilers I'ma gonna leave this there for now.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed some Holmes!interference and thank you for reading, commenting and kudosing, you wonderful people you n_n
> 
> See you next week!


	13. Fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there guys, sorry for the delay this time but I had goddamn Visions for this chapter and I was damn well going to realise them!
> 
> So I really hope you enjoy, and I really hope you drop me a line if you do, cause I feel pretty damn good about this one.
> 
> Without further ado;  
>  **WARNING:** Graphic depictions of violence, trauma.
> 
> Enjoy ;)

[](http://imgur.com/MtlQsQq)

 

\---

 

Neither wolf slept that night, both waiting on something, anything. But it wasn’t until mid-morning when they were trying to gnaw down a few bites of food out of necessity that they heard the first screams.

Howls went up of ‘attack’ ‘charge’ and ‘fight’ as Q stiffened down to his last strand of fur beside James, breath speeding up. The general melee of battle was too quiet for them to hear all the way up in the sub-den, but the howled messages across the mountain and battling snarls flitted up increasingly.

“I can’t hear anything I don’t know what’s going on.” Q bit out, muzzle barely moving. James breathed deep and tried to quell his own tension. He hadn’t been hearing from the sidelines since Q’s Run.

“If we can’t hear anything it means they’re getting no closer. Its good.” It was the only comfort they had as gradually M, Harry Pierce and Sherlock’s wits battled out on the mountain sides against Moriarty and Silva’s, reaching them in ordered howls.

_“Rocks ambush run!”_

_“Enemy in the glacier blind spot!”_

_“Formation broken-“_

_“Alphas split-“_

_“Hidden entrances guarded-“_

_“Sheer force-“_

_“Scatter scatter-“_

_“Den breached!”_

And finally, above it all, a single powerful howl of snide triumph and mockery reaching across the whole mountain.

“Come omega! Brother is _mine_!”

Q’s resolve quailed as his whole body quivered closer to the entrance in response to the threat that could only be against Mycroft. James instinctively rose to stand over and flatten him, just shy of pinning the omega down to keep him there, safe. The howl of Silva signing himself to the threat was barely finished before an interrupting roar of unbelievable noise and intent ricochet up the mountain.

“ _Sherlock_.” Q breathed, voice tight, and James swore inside and pressed his nose close alongside Q’s. They couldn’t tell what would happen from up here but there was a malicious, twisting howl of demented delight and cruelty, laughter, from a new wolf’s voice and James had to catch Q by the ruff to stop him from kicking free in either a bid to give aid or escape.

“Moriarty?” Q whimpered in assent and shivered to calm himself, sitting up slightly and twisting his head and ears for the battle sounds, panting.

Snatches of the fight were beginning to drift higher and louder to them on the rising wind and James begged it was that alone until the one thing he’d been dreading came.

_“Broken through!”_

Lightning seemed to crack through him at the shockingly fast rise in noise. Cheers, howls of wolves catching what they thought was Q’s scent, and then screams from the traps, from the assassin wolves.

“James.” The alpha turned stiffly to his mate at the quiet, tense tone, finding Q’s shuddering body turned to him, ears pricked and eyes bright with some wild light that he’d never seen. Calls of ‘trap trap trap’ were coming from all around on the mountains but still getting closer, although there was a substantial amount of calls also moving over to where he knew Severine and Felix to be.

“Q.” James’ own voice was too tight, too quiet, too high. Their eyes caught too hard as simultaneously an enraged cry from Felix and a harsh cry from Alec wrent the air.

And there was only one thing James could do now.

Q gasped at the sounds and had struggled to his shaking, young paws and James was leaping to stop the omega in his tracks before he could move.

“Q _no_.”

“They’re _coming_ James-“

“And I’ll hold them off I’ll hold them all off-“

“You _can’t_ on your _own_!” Q shouted at him and James felt pure panic lacing his muscles at well as the knowledge that he was Q’s last line of defence.

“If you go out there, they _will hunt you down_.” Q shook his head, tense, not able to bear the thought of his mate charging into battle alone. “You _have_ to give me a chance.”

“James _no_ ,” Q shook his head, backing a step, sounding destroyed.

“ _Q_ ,” The alpha’s voice went tight for a minute and he had to breathe, eyes sweeping over that perfect body before him and imprinting his mate’s existence, scent, soul into his memory. “You have to promise me-“

“ _No_ ,”

“Q, _please_ ,” Both their voices caught and chocked in tears as they fought each other over their hearts. “You have to promise me-“ Q sobbed, distraught, eyes agony on James’ own, “-that no matter what you hear, no matter what they say,”

“James _please_ ”

“That you won’t go out to meet them.” Another chocked breath from them both. “That you’ll stay here or if you can’t, if they get through-“

“ _Don’t say it_.” Q growled at him from clenched teeth, but James had to, Lobo forgive him but he had to admit that much.

“That you’ll _run_. Run away, run which ever way looks safest, just run and don’t stop, don’t look back.”

“James no-“

“I love you.” Q sobbed and whined and bit a bit at James’ ruff as the alpha rushed forwards to nuzzle into him for what might be the last time, licking each eye patch as tenderly as he could before he turned and ran to the den entrance. Some of his fur came out with Q’s hold on him and the sting managed to set his blood alight as he straightened tall and proud and defiant and turned his head back to Q.

“I will defend you. Mate.” Q’s moment of wide-eyed, horrified and agonised silence lasted but seconds until he spoke whisper-quiet with mountains of conviction.

“Come back alpha. I bloody love you.” He nodded once, prayed to Lobo he could keep his promise, and turned to charge out onto the ice slope and down to the fight singing in his blood.

-00Q00-

Outside the slopes were a mess. Hard to tell friend from foe. And although there were wolves of both sides sprawled and struggling all over the mountain the reason became abruptly clear. Alec was charging at a group of MI6 wolves hastening up-slope following one of Q’s fake scent trails. There was another alpha James knew from his pack struggling with broken legs out of one of their pitfall-trapped dens wailing and snarling about filthy play.

The alphas had turned.

The mere thought would have been enough to freeze him in fury if there wasn’t more at stake. Keeping his crouch low and subtle James sneaked down the slope away from Q, hidden by a ridge until he was closer to the bulk of enemy wolves.

Not all of MI6 had turned. James scanned the snow rapidly as he took in the battle. Alec could cow or handle most of those alphas he was chasing, they seemed the only ones to have gotten that far up, and Lobo he knew Q was desperate and wily enough to probably take down a single alpha that tried to squeeze into their den by the only entrance. Especially since the omega had those throwing knives with him in there. James had never been more grateful that he’d forgot to grab one.

Lucas and Ros were acting as a two-wolf strike team and had their synchronicity down so well that the rabid alphas were starting to loose some of their hunting frenzy and avoid them by mere sight. There were about twenty other friendlies out there from both MI6 and 5 and far down the slope towards the main den James could see Sherlock’s lanky form flinted like a dagger and charging repeatedly and furiously at a nearly skeletal, kink-tailed alpha who was skipping out of the way cackling. John seemed to be circling them worriedly and what could only be the battered form of Lestrade’s unique coat was jaw-locked onto another wolf’s brown throat in a death bite. There was no sign of M or Pierce but Tanner was even out there on the slope, wily like a silver fox and leading a beta battalion that seemed to be guarding the home front.

The numbers of wolves breaking through the deserter depleted line of alphas holding the way up mountain was harrowing. Even as he looked, one wolf gave up and turned to join the surge of fifty-odd alphas heading up.

Fifty. They had up here twenty-four.

A shout from Lukas caught his attention and James saw a wild-eyed, young looking alpha galloping up-slope right for him having broken through the ranks. The wolf was so rabid with delight that he didn’t notice his company until James sprung from under the ridge in a flurry of snow and caught a pale neck in his jaws viciously. With a lock-down bite, squeal of terror and twist of strong jaws the alpha’s neck snapped and James spat him out with a mouthful of fur. Unable to keep down the rage of his snarl the pale alpha raised his hackles as he stalked slow and lethal into full view of the slope. Several of the attacking alphas stepped back or fumbled. For some it was enough to get them killed. Lukas and Ros shot a look of relief up slope before ploughing on.

The fight rekindled, but somehow the odds were turned, as James started to truly growl like a beast and begin an intimidating descent of slow, lethal intent towards the threat to his mate, more seemed to turn tail with yelps. From the far side of the slope above them James could see a few alphas running down with cries and behind them the seemingly immense form of Felix in his fur, made larger by rage roaring down after them.

Focusing on his immediate victims James tunnelled his vision into the nearest of them. Some wolves hadn’t noticed, or were lured into a false sense of security by the slowness of his approach.

“The omega must be up there! Get him!” One grey wolf called to rally his nearby alphas and the thought seemed to give them strength. James charged.

Shocked by his speed the grey barely had time to scream before James crashed into him. Aiming for the face, body dealing a powerful blow to the slighter one that might cost him. He barely registered the pressure as his teeth sank into a wailing face and tore delicate skin and fur into streaks. He let go seconds before a pair of alphas charged him together and became one with the movement. Feint out the way. His back leg blocked one of their paths knocking their more delicate front legs out from under them. Teeth deep into collarbone and neck of the other. Pin. Thrash. The body pinned beneath him he dragged fast through the snow in a half-circle and threw at it’s staggering comrade. Turn around at the bite of new fangs into his thick back fur. Not getting purchase. Sit. Bite nose. Smash.

More from the front now, the wolves had smartened up and weren’t bothering to go for him single-handed, yet their sense of self-preservation held them back. James breathed in deep and imagined their putrid pack-musk alongside his warming, fresh Q’s and thrashed round fast to the front, ploughing into their forming circle and throwing wolves away by sheer muscle power.

 _Don’t expose your belly. Don’t expose your throat._ Those were the simple age-old rules of wolf fights but so many forgot all their other weaknesses too. Or only watched out for fangs. James sacrificed his tail to an eager mouth as he ripped out an ear and spat the blood in another opponent’s eyes. His back foot came up hard and fast to kick into the soft under-jaw and break bone and hold. Swinging around his bulk knocked a few attackers over until someone grabbed his foreleg. Rather than rip it from them Bond rolled, flattened momentarily on top of their winded chest and sank teeth viciously into their privates. The ensuing scream was enough to get some others to back off even as another wolf lunged for his scruff.

James prepared himself to throw the alpha off when with a snarl and a blur of white Ros leapt for his head and did it for him as James ducked neatly out the way.

The short tailed wolf dashed round and through the circle too quick to catch and through the opening Lukas charged and tackled into two wolves at once, the three of them rolling down-slope in a tangle. Seizing the opportunity James used brute-strength over cunning for their confused moments and lashed out snapping at any throats, eyes, or legs he could.

It felt like winning, but also panic, because he couldn’t have been sure if in the melee he had held the line or if some had snuck through towards Q.

“ _Found you_ ” James barely turned to the gleeful hiss before solid force pounded into him and sent him flying. A blizzard of snow as he tumbled blinded him for a moment. Swiftly regaining his paws James turned snarling at the bulky form of Silva. Rather than looking fearful at James’ rage, Silva appeared thrilled by it.

“And I thought you would be so hard to kill too.”

 

[](http://imgur.com/GB4kVjQ)

 

-00Q00-

Q was beside himself. The agonising clench of terror and rage inside him squatting frozen within his stock-still body. For all that The Run had been panic and movement, here he was at the crux simply begging that no one save James would come back this way. That no one else on their side would die.

But he could hear the battle howls and the snarls and shouts, cries of pain. He didn’t know the wolves from each other well enough yet to tell them apart, and somehow that kicked the worst of all.

Wolves were out there dying for him, or the idea of him at least, and he couldn’t even remember their names.

But at least none of them had been his James, he knew that much, or thought he did.

James who was out there and had sworn Q to stay behind and it was _killing_ him. Safety tasted like ash in his mouth when everyone he loved or cared about was out there risking their lives and he was just… sitting here.

Listening to it get worse.

He wasn’t sure, but he thought it was Tanner howling the numbers of wolves coming closer up the slope, listing names of traitors for the defenders. Too many now, surely, how could James and whatever few defenders were left fight of forty, fifty?

And ‘here’ wouldn’t be safe against that many numbers. Blanca they’d dig him out like a rabbit in a hole. He didn’t want to go down like that, alone and terrified and surrounded with no hope. Not to mention sometimes on the wind he swore he could hear Moriarty’s cackle, Sherlock’s snarl. Whether twist of the imagination or not, Moriarty had known exactly where to wait for Q during the run, somehow. As soon as he made it up here there was no way all their tricks and traps would work against that mind.

And whilst he was sitting waiting to be caught, and surely all the enemy _knowing_ that waiting safely in a den was what he would be doing was less advantage and more curse? Everyone, _everyone_ might be dead or dying.

Against fifty…

He didn’t want to live in a world without James, his family. He didn’t want to live in a world controlled by their murderers.

_I’d rather die. I’d rather die fighting. I’d rather die next to James. And they can all screw themselves to insanity without their precious omegas._

The thought cut him cold but clear as he realised the truth for what it was. He couldn’t bear it if everybody died and he hadn’t even tried to help or see James one last time.

At the very least, he could cause a distraction. If his brothers, James, even Alec and John could live, maybe being torn apart wouldn’t be so bad.

And if James died, there was no future good for him from there.

Q shifted to his paws, a deadly weight settling within him but his feet held him steady. Mouth set tense and grim Q closed his eyes and thought about sky and laughing with James and the scent of Mycroft’s fur after rain and the way Sherlock’s tail would buffet him when they walked in a line, Alec bouncing from side to side in play, John just last night bathed in red light… James’ eyes, Mycroft’s last words to him relayed by messenger, James’ body curled warm and weighted around him as they slept, his own nose tucked into warm fur and breathing that deep, safe scent.

_Blanca protect me, and Lobo guide me, and James forgive me. But I can’t let it end this way._

Fate sealed Q turned to grab a mouthful of his two nearly perfected throwing knives between his teeth and faced the drop-exit of the sub-den. Praying his paws wouldn’t fail him now after getting him this far, the omega pawed his way a little down the beginning of the drop, spared a hysterical moment to imaging him simply breaking a leg here and dying of foolishness where no one could see, and jumped.

-00Q00-

Another body battered into James’ as Silva continued ordering his growing circle of alphas to deal glancing, wearing blows at the pale wolf too frequently for him to recover from. The best James could do was weave from one paw to the other to deflect the hits best he could, seeing his own fur and small spatters of blood scatter over the paw-turned snow.

“Enough now.” Silva announced calmly, the alphas falling back into line without fight, though some were still licking their lips. James, panting, half panicked because although Lucas and Ros were still fighting at least, and a good two-dozen others, he couldn’t tell what was going on. He glanced at the surrounding wall of fourteen alphas, Silva at the head, and couldn’t understand.

“Obedient.” He noted dismissively, and saw several of the alphas growl. James raised a brow at Silva, who looked far too smug… but now that everything else had stopped moving, he could see the other alpha’s back legs shook slightly, that his spine wasn’t aligned _quite_ right. The sense of satisfaction soothed a bit of his fear that things were going badly wrong.

“They know what is good for them.” Frowning, James couldn’t imagine why.

“What good is another Run? Even assuming you can kill me, only one of fifty can achieve anything.” No power on earth couldn’t bring him to actually say properly what their end goal was. The growing chuckle, not just from Silva but his surrounding lackeys, unnerved him to the bon. Still he didn’t move a muscle when his former pack brother took a step forwards.

“Oh no, we are much more imaginative than all that, Bond. It would have begun sooner if I could have caught your pretty thing in the Run, yes, but this way has more… flare to it.” The growl in James’ throat at the mere thought of another wolf touching Q was unavoidable.

“You think they’ll,” jerking his head towards the surrounding wolves in indication James sneered, “just let you have him any more than they want me to?” Surely even someone as insane as Silva couldn’t believe that much of himself.

The man’s slow laugh begged otherwise.

“I’ll tell you, and then you’ll call out your pretty thing for me, and then we’ll kill you. This much is only fair, after all, since you’ve been keeping him plump and ripe for us.” If James’ snarl had been thunder it would have cracked mountains, Silva smirked again, though his eyes went wider in excitement.

“The omega is young still, I assume you’ve managed to impregnate him by now, but this is no matter, you have strong blood too. If you call out your omega without bloodshed, I will let your pups live when they are born rather than kill them within his belly to bring him back into heat.”

 _There might not be pups_. James’ mind fought to remember against the tide of nauseous rage that gripped him.

“You-“

“What wolves choose not to understand, James, is that this _bonding_ system means our own ruin.” Silva begun, lecturing childishly and with a faux carefree attitude. “No matter how many pups there will be infinitely more alphas, angry at their lost chance to father the same. Those who run with me, however, will all be given equal chance to lay with the omega, to father a litter after breeding him. _That_ is why they run with me.”

James thought somewhere in his mind, something understood what the wolf was saying, but it went so against every core of his beliefs that the thought was shut down before he could fully comprehend what Silva was suggesting.

“What?” He snapped, anger beating terror temporarily.

Silva sighed, sufferingly, as if he’d had to produce this speech too many times over the last few months.

“Let us say that you help me, hmm? You call down the pretty one and we sever the bond if you try anything, or maybe not. If the bond is sanity and health, we keep you both alive. See if he is pregnant. If he is, a certain amount of months pass, after five a litter of pups is born. He is young and healthy, relatively undamaged, average number of pups for a wolf like him is four, though his family is one that seems to bear few, so let us say three pups.” The words were washing over James’ ears but he still wasn’t allowing himself to let them sink in.

“Then,” Silva turned to pace, but met James’ eyes first, both alphas instinctively shifting to circle each other. “We let them wean a little off him, and take them away.” The thought nearly faltered Bond’s steps. “Our betas can raise them the rest of the way with their own young. Maybe we kill any alpha pups, maybe not if you help us now, unlikely there will be any betas. Without the scent of his pups the omega’s body will soon forget them, instinct is so important after all, maybe up to twelve weeks until he is coming back into heat against, at most.” The wolf’s smile turned truly sick as he stopped pacing, James following suit, faced him head on and continued with smug, cunning glee.

“His next heat, he sleeps with _another_ alpha. There are herbs my esteemed co-leader and I have cultivated that quicken the womb, encourage a good breeding. This new alpha beds him for his heat, fathers pups, then leaves him alone. Maybe if its useful for sanity and health we return him to you, maybe not, we shall see. Five months, another litter, another two weeks for weaning, another maybe twelve weeks for his next heat, another _new_ alpha.”

The sheer scope of Silva’s plan dawned rotting and putrid in James’ mind, and he couldn’t keep the tight, sickened fury from his face, praying his trembling paws were hidden in the snow.

“The cycle each time takes at most nine months. At the end of three years he will have had four litters, we could slow if necessary, but on average that is twelve new pups in four years.” Silva and Moriarty hadn’t just made a battle strategy… this was a repopulation plan.

“By the time he is thirty three and getting tired he will have sired on average 50 pups. Some of the original alphas will be dead. Seventeen will have had a chance to breed him and his first litter will be coming into their first heats. Assuming a 1:1 ratio of alphas to omegas, and possibly more omegas if he is a Smart Breeder, that’s 25 new omegas bred into the population. Maybe that first year there’s only one, maybe two, more omegas to go around, but there’s still him and about one quarter less of the alpha population to worry about, maybe more.”

The ground had slipped from beneath James’ feet.

“The first year pups go onto the same breeding scheme, and soon in two years we double, triple the amount of pups. Maybe once those pups grow they are diverse enough to mate with the pretty one’s litters. Maybe once troublesome or useless wolves have had a mating they are…dispensed with. Soon we are breeding back up to even numbers and don’t need the scheme any more to sustain ourselves. So you see,” Silva grinned, demented and proud and shameless whilst James tried to remind himself that snow was still white and the wind still stung and Q was still his and this world was _real_.

“There is much advantage to these alphas proving to me their uses, the weak have no place in the scheme, and we have proven they cannot out-craft Moriarty and myself. So all that we wait to see is whether you keep your pups or not, James Bond.”

Not a single strand of fur on James’ body paused as he lunged for Silva’s throat with a roar.

Taken by surprise and shocked at the vehemence of James’ attack and lack of words Silva only just managed to turn his head down in time so that teeth met teeth instead of neck. James felt fangs slice at his lips and gums but didn’t give a damn as he crunched his jaws against the pain, feeling Silva’s bones fracturing and the wolf screaming for his followers to attack.

He didn’t need to tell them.

Whatever hope James had had of the snake army dying with its head cut off was destroyed when the instant he bit down on Silva five sets of fangs grabbed into his own fur and legs hard and _tore_.

James didn’t let go, wouldn’t let go. His mind was shot down with the sort of panic that led to and became overridden with purpose and determination. Fear and rage kept his jaws tight despite the weight of numbers now piling onto him, the screams of a battle MI6 were losing. Other wolves had heard Silva’s plan and turned against their own.

James didn’t think about what wolves had become to resort to this. He didn’t think about what life would be like for Q if he lost. All he thought about was loosing, and Q’s face. Every slice of pain and rip into his body throwing Q’s image at him and clenching his jaw tighter.

There might be nothing else he could do against such numbers, but he could do this. Silva would _not_ be laying a single touch on his Q, and if that was all he could fulfil of his promise to his mate, then he would do it.

There was a struck scream beside him, followed by a whistle-thud and another, wolves were falling off James and snarling in confusion, Silva ripped free at the momentary pause, dribbling blood and jaw unhinged.

“ _Hey_!”

 _No_. James turned along with the other alphas, just enough, body riddled with pain and now a sapping surge of terror, as the alphas all across the slope looked up and saw on a ridge above the single form of Q, fur blown back by the increasing wind and livid rage and panic on his face.

“Come and get me you _bastards_.” With that and what might have been a single pained look in James’ direction Q turned tail and ran. There was barely a moment of pause before with a earth quaking roar the entire pack of remaining enemy alphas dropped whatever they were doing and gave chase.

Before he’d even thought about anything else James’ teeth again lunged for a single grey and yellow form about to move past him and this time caught nothing but neck. Silva screamed and thrashed and shouted for aid but James’ fangs sank deep enough to taste blood and he thrashed the body in his jaws with all his power every growl in him. Jaws releasing and re-clasping to crash Silva down to the ground and pin his neck till finally _finally_ the kicking wolf’s struggles stopped with a crack.

Releasing the dead body of Silva that would never lay sight on his mate again James staggered around, swaying, and stared with horror up slope at the legion of thirty wolves chasing Q to the top of the mountain.

“Q no, _no_.”

“Go James we’ll hold them!” Ros’ voice managed to cut through his freeze and he took of with Lucas’ bellow of “ _Run_!” echoing in his brain.

The sounds of the rallied members of MI5 and 6 holding back the depleted remains of Silva’s wolves covered the sound of his laboured breathing as he charged upslope after the mass of wolves too far away chasing the speck of his Q.

He had to get there. He _had_ to get there!

 

[](http://imgur.com/VMId9M5)

 

-00Q00-

The scene outside the den was worse than Q had feared. For starters he had to wind his way around the back hidden path towards the melee, able to hear but see none of the battle. When it appeared to him, he could barely breathe. Everything else, the blood, the sheer numbers of wolves and the scattered bodies or crawling figures, paled in comparison to the sight of James surrounded and being mauled on all sides like a hard to fell prey. His jaws were locked with Silva’s and Q felt the same rush of surety that he had the last time James had fought the monster.

But to an absurdly high degree this time.

Growling and through with playing these wolves’ sick games Q dropped one of the knives in the snow. _Not_ his James. Not to that _monster_.

With a snarl and without needing finesse he jumped twisted and hurled the knife still in his jaws at the huddle of wolves. Even a distraction was better than nothing. The second knife went the same way and two wolves were struck down and at least injured as the rest detached in shock of the attack.

“ _Hey_!” The wolves turned to him. All of them. The whole bloody slope. The whole damn mountain.

 _Sorry James_. “Come and get me you _bastards_.” _You’re worth more to me_.

He turned, familiar _now_ , with this rush of adrenaline and panic and chase. And sprinted up the snow.

The roar following him speeded his paws and Q hurtled through the snow, wind behind him scooping him up faster, further, running with him. He was again lighter, more agile. He knew the way. There were fucking thirty of them. More if they broke through which Q prayed no one would let happen.

Silva would be with them. James would be following him, he knew he would.

But with those wounds there was no chance his mate could catch them now. Even if he could, what then?

Snow spun beneath his paws as Q wound up, took a sharp left up the glacier he and James had hidden him. His sure paws knew the way and he heard some wolves shouting in frustration as they slipped back down.

Not nearly enough.

The tumbles of the frozen water and occasional groaning cracks silenced the sound of the battle below.

Scatter them, he could do that. Give the others a chance. He didn’t dare look back to check. What he planned to do after that the omega had no idea.

Clawing himself over the top of the glacier led him nearly right into an alpha and Q dropped at the last moment but skidded on the ice with the wind firmer this far up. The wolf tripped over him and something loosened from his jaws. Second later there was a scream tearing down on them and Q whipped his head around to see a horribly familiar-smelling omega pup stumbling on dazed legs upright and yelp-crying in puppy-fright as the alpha regained his paws.

Q couldn’t afford the time but didn’t care. Snarling he lunged to protect the crying pup only to be beaten to it by the screaming fury of none other than Severine.

“ _Not my pup_ not my _CHILD_!” Q cowered away from the sight of her stripped body tearing into the overwhelmed alpha, blood spilling the snow. The pup was still crying but Q realised with horror that the alphas chasing _him_ were about to be upon them.

They wouldn’t be able to see what was going on up here yet and Q had to trust that his scent was stronger than that of a pup or Severine’s desiccated one. Turning and making sure not to look and give them away, forcing his mind not to think about their other pup and where he or Felix was, Q kicked back at the snow viciously and heard a startled, muffled whuff and whump as the small pup was concealed under the powder.

 _They won’t hurt him anyway, they won’t hurt him_. It did little to sooth his thumping heart, given that it was a lie and he knew it.

Determinedly not looking back Q slipped and skidded back up to speed, hooking a right over the top of the glacier, following the direction of the wind up further and further. The sound of large numbers of alphas following him was almost comforting if it meant saving someone else.

Maybe saving that pup of his fate… but how, when the only thing above him was the treacherous pathway leading to the tooth-like ridges of Intelligence pass.

 _Dead damn end_. Q thought, cursing himself and panting even as he kept running.

For a split second the wind flurried under him again he pushed off from the ground and caught him, carried him.

From miles away and years and no time at all the world dulled around him and he saw instead the whipping snow of the highlands he’d grown on and the soaring winds carrying him.

_“What’s been done once, can always be done again… you could always run good enough to fly.”_

_Not_ a goodbye message. An instruction.

Q could have laughed if it didn’t make him feel sick to his soul.

Yes, he could do it. There was a way, if he risked it all. Risked James following him too late, risked the alphas not following him and being trapped here angry, risked not making it, risked being stranded… But over, it would be over. He could to this, he could do _that_.

_Wolves managed it once before, and if they did, this is how._

Sureness and agony spearing his heart again Q’s steps strengthened and he pushed against the tiredness and the heartache that he was going to lose James, he was choosing this path and it was going to make him lose James. But compared to death, to James’ death, compared to being ripped apart and raped and seeing the world turn to torture, is was the _only_ way he could stop this. And damn it he had to _try_.

 _Feet don’t fail me now. Blanca save us._ Q’s mind narrated hysterically as he skidded around some boulders and headed directly up.

“Q?!” He didn’t pause at Alec’s shout from where the alpha was fighting off a pair of attackers. He couldn’t stop now or he wouldn’t be able to do this.

The shouting howling snarling pack behind him had no idea or if they did it was fevered out of them. They wouldn’t know that the ridge was the end, Q hadn’t known when James had taken him up here at this blind angle.

His feet thundered onto the wind-scraped stone and ice of the final few meters. His heart pounded so fast it hurt to breath. The snow was flying directly up into swirling clouds and sinking sunlight poking between as Q drew one final deep breath.

 _Goodbye James._ The edge rushed up to meet him and Q leapt with the wind and all his might.

Ground disappeared and Q flew as streamline as he could as the earth opened up beneath him. An odd, weightless freeze of time as the bottom seemed to drop out of the ground where he could see no ground below and the opposite ridges coming at him too fast.

At the last moment he threw out his legs for a landing on the other side of those teeth of ice and his body dropped out of the wind’s reach. Gravity grabbed him as Q saw the snow-covered idea of safety dropped away too steep and his paws skidded and slipped and he braced but tumbled down too fast and barely halted his fall as he turned back in amazement. His body was still sliding down with gravity and the snow’s sluggish pull as above screams he thought were the wind clarified into voices. Then there were wolves cascading down as he had, screaming and panicking and some unable to regain their feet or ploughing into others. But they were all heading down, and still screaming for him.

Q turned with his ongoing momentum and sprinted down-slope barley keeping the speed from tripping his paws. The snow was thick and slippy and the steepness was threatening to catch him or send him into alpha jaws. They sounded closer how could they be closer?

There was a snarl behind him and Q threw himself into the air, jumping down and away, carried by speed and angle far down the slope. He turned mid-air in case he had to defend himself against jaws but instead found his mouth open in shock at the scene of utter chaos on the slope above him. Around twenty alphas, some tumbling to what looked like their deaths and others running straight and true towards him, some shrieking in terror, unable to stop, others snarling in desire and rage, some fighting with each other mid-chase. To his back the sun burst through clouds deep and as he swung back to land safely he caught a glimpse of the impossible vista of the other side of the mountains, a world he hadn’t believed existed with valleys and rivers and mountains like his own.

He landed with a thud of realisation at what he’d done, yet not understanding what would happen now. The ground begun to level a little and as they tumbled further Q saw a plateau marked by a single old and dead giant pine, spears of branches and blackened and rotted at the bottom, meters from the rest of the trees that begun growing scattered on the snow.

More than that, unbelievable to Q now yet somehow fatefully appropriate, he could see wolves.

The ground was covered in so many of them, too many, and for a moment his heart failed and panicked because he was headed from one pack of alphas into a larger one but a breath told him different.

Q’s paws nearly finally tripped him as he realised these were _omegas_ on the slope. A few betas, but he couldn’t smell a single alpha amongst them with the wind in their favour. He wasn’t the only one to have realised it either. The wolves behind him were letting out howls of victory and savagery and finally Q had just had _enough_.

 _No damn more_. He thought, and focused. With one last burst of speed Q bolted ahead further, faster, the stunned wolves below him not noticing for shock of the whole spectacle and the wolves behind him not caring as Q pushed and wheeled at an angle and meters before these strange innocent wolves jumped high as he could for the angle.

His paws slammed high into the trunk of the tree and with an almighty crack the ready to topple giant cracked and gave. Gravity dropped him whilst Q managed to keep his paws on the bark beneath and together they crashed to the ground like a clap of thunder. The alphas chasing him skidded to a shocked stop before the tree blocking their path, the omegas behind him were stunned into silence and unwitting.

“ _Enough_!” Q shouted, and as one the collective of frozen alphas turned from the felled tree to him. There was a look in their wide eyes that Q didn’t care to take the time to interpret.

“You have chased yourselves from your home, forced me apart from my mate, and all because your greed and base desires and belief in another wolf’s insanity led you to act like mindless _beasts_. And I _will not_ let you bring that madness here!” Somehow, instead of attacking, he was being stared at still by all. One of the wolves in the crowd shifted and Q saw Alec was there, looking up at him with an incredulous smile. Somehow the thought of having one friend with him was enough to give him strength. Straightening and ruffling out his fur as much as he could to command his point, Q for the first time in his life raised his tail high in power.

“These wolves here don’t know about your past, or wrongs. _Treat_ them as you would your _equal_ , because out here away from our home, _that_ is what all wolves _are_. Remember that from now on! _All_ wolves are equal, and _none_ of them deserve to be run down!” With the ineloquent demands forced as best he could Q turned to the equally stunned omegas on the other side of the tree.

“I come here meaning no harm and seeking only sanctuary from the hurt that has been done to bring me here… Remember you’re strong, stronger than them, and that if any of these alphas give you the slightest grief you can turn to me for sanctuary in return.” Worrying that he’d sounded presumptuous he turned back to the still paused alphas and raised his voice high. “Remember those words, and do not test me. I am beyond giving a damn about hurt to myself to stop you doing the same to others, and I _will_ take action against any wolf that breaks another’s trust. _That_ is our new law.”

There was a long pause of silence after his words. Wind whipped through the gathered wolves and Q held his breath, until there was a single sound that broke his heart and sounded from far above them on the breeze.

 _“Q!”_ His chest clamped and his eyes burned even though he couldn’t cry in his fur. _James_.

 _“James!”_ The wolves around seemed startled by the strength with which he threw back his head and howled his mate’s name to the heavens. From across the mountain, James’ howl of his name sounded again, desperate, calling, calling him home.

Everything in Q broke on his returned song, and the agony and despair at what had happened truly caught up with him. He was here, and his mate was on the other side of a twenty-foot chasm, and there was no way he could get back across.

The breaking of his heart wrenched his cried howl back to James and his alpha on what seemed the other side of the world caught it and howled back wordless agony and lost love of his own.

The wolves around them remained in silent witness to their pain as Q and James sang out love and loss and excruciation across the heights until the wind slowed and died and James’ howls got quieter and inaudible and Q’s throat dried up with abject despair and horror.

 _How can I survive without you?_ Had been his last words to James, with the return of _‘I can’t live without you.’_ Q’s head dropped in grief till his nose was inches from his paws, tail dropping limply to rest on the bark beneath him in defeat. He felt hollow, numb, destroyed.

There was a whisper of movement that broke the deathly silence.

“This is what you’ve done. Q’s right. Don’t let it happen again, I’ll stand by him against anyone who does.” Q had just enough mind to meet Alec’s eyes where he was looking worriedly and pained at Q, standing between him and the alphas.

“After that, you don’t need to worry about protecting us, handsome, with or without our glorious new leader’s defence.” The voice came from behind and Q looked to see an attractive dark furred female smiling at him almost gently before she crossed her front paws neatly and ducked her head, smiling a bit cheekily. “The name’s Eve, and if you’ll accept the mantle of our protector, we’ll welcome you to our pack gladly, tree feller. Providing your alphas behave, they're _most_ welcome too.”

 _Your alphas_. Q repeated to himself numbly, as Eve licked her lips whilst looking at Alec, who shifted in surprise and sat straighter, a few of the other omegas were also beginning to shift into somewhat coaxing and attractive positions, ruffling up fur and preening at the cautiously interested, shell shocked alphas.

“You did just lead them down from the mountain like the bloody vision of Blanca, not to mention the tree magic.” Alec pointed out, keeping a close eye on the omega behind Q.

“Simple angles…” Q murmured, but stopped when he realised that the alphas around were looking at him as if wary of lightning, or awaiting permission. Q, blinking fatigue and hopelessness out of his eyes, sat down on his haunches and realised that he’d done this, he’d brought them here, and effectively, _yes_ these wolves were his responsibility.

“Q.” The omega met Alec’s eyes, for once solemn and showing the loss he too felt at leaving their home, being stranded by a slope too steep to run up and an unpredictable set of wind to meet any climber at the top. As long as Q had been in MI6, the wind had never blown _back_ towards them from Intelligence Pass.

“We have a chance here, and look at them, they think you’re Blanca come back. Don’t waste it.” The responsibility was horrible, if wolves couldn’t get it right for decades what chance did he have? But he wasn’t changing the face of the earth… just leading a pack. Hysterics threatened him briefly at the thought of him, an omega, running a pack, but he fought it down and straightened his head to glare at the eagerly and unsurely whining alphas around him.

 _Fucking puppies_. Q cursed, seeing them for a moment as about as independent as pups. It wasn’t hard to look imperious and channel James’ strength when he thought of them like that, rather than the vicious rapists they had been not minutes earlier.

“Go. Be _nice_. I’ll be watching.” Looking a mix of exultant and terrified the alphas slowly began to skirt around the tree –careful not to touch it- and wind slowly through the mass of omegas, greeting courteously and with amusing shyness. A few even mimicked Eve’s ‘bow’ in passing him, as if they thought that she had some omega knowledge of how to please their new leader. Alec drifted over to bump noses with said omega, who giggled and smirked at his thumping tail and stunned expression.

Q watched for a few moments, realising that astoundingly the alphas _were_ on their best behaviour. Flooded with so many omegas, they seemed not to know what to do with themselves. A few not much older than Q probably genuinely _didn’t_ have a clue.

They’d all forgotten how to be any better. Thirteen years of dwindling numbers and panic and no omegas to feedback from had driven them rabid. Q couldn’t forgive them, but he could understand how it happened.

Sighing he turned away and despite the wrenching of his chest looked back up at the mountain that held _his_ heart and mate.

 _James_.

They’d barely had any life together and now they were ripped apart. But they’d stopped it, he hopped. James had howled to come back, because the fighting had stopped, because Silva was dead. That it was safe to come back.

With every fibre of himself, Q wished he could.

He didn’t need to turn around and look at all the other happy wolves to know this was the one wound he’d never recover from.

Every wolf on this mountain now knew that.

 

[](http://imgur.com/YTWvUf1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there we have it! The penultimate chapter to this particular tale, assuming I can fit everything else into one chapter, it could be a long one!
> 
> Hmm there's a lot of artwork going on in this one, which I hope added something rather than detracted. You have no idea how many scenes from this I wanted to draw xD restricting myself with time was the only way we all escaped with just four!  
> In a brief(ish) bit of information about the pictures, the group shot at the top (from left to right) features Sherlock, Mycroft, John, Alec, Q, James, Lucas and Ros. It was hugely fun to do a group and I might try and to the other wolves of this story too.  
> James' rather bloody picture was an experiment in different-ish style and also fun to do. Q's flight down the mountain was in my mind for weeks and partially inspired by the opening theme of Ginga Nageraboshi Gin (which if you like this story and anime about dogs might be worth a look!) and will probably always be one of my favourite pictures. The last pic, of course, is not set to scale of any sort.
> 
> I really hope you enjoyed and would appreciate any criticism you have because although I love this chapter for me it was all very clear in my mind, so I hope its not too confusing in the action parts. As a culmination for this story, I love it x3  
> Thank you all for your support so far, its meant the world to me after a prologue that nearly didn't make it to 3000 words!
> 
> Okay this has been long, you've been awesome and if you're still reading then I like your style!  
> See you next chapter folks :)
> 
> EDIT: 19.12.14 Right, belated change of plans guys! The 'final chapter' of Pack and Pride has pooled itself into maybe 6 chapters... (which, to be fair, was as I originally intended, and I was fool to believe I could cut the length down!) Therefore (also as originally intended!) I will be labelling what is here so far as complete and putting the 20,000 odd words into a third part of this story as it's own sequel with chapters etc. I hope to have the first up today/tomorrow and I will resume regular updates from then on. Huge apologies for the wait, there are excuses but I shan't list them here! And I look forward to seeing everyone in the next part, titled: _The Greatest of Heights and Hearts_

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, comments, kudos and critique appreciated :3


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